Following the Lamar County Board of Supervisors’ decision not to opt out of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, board members adopted an ordinance outlining the county’s permitting process for that action, as well as identifying in which areas of the county the medical cannabis facilities would be installed. allowed to locate.
The ordinance, which was approved at the June 23 board meeting, establishes rules and regulations regarding the following facilities and their operations: cannabis cultivation facilities, cannabis processing facilities, cannabis testing facilities, dispensaries Cannabis Transport Entities, Cannabis Disposal Entities, and Research Facilities in the unincorporated areas of Lamar County.
“The purpose of the ordinance is to outline the county’s permitting process for (medical marijuana, as well as to identify in which areas within the county medical cannabis facilities may be located,” County Manager Jody Waits said. state regulations. We merged them, and that’s what that ordinance does.”
The ordinance requires that an owner or operator of a medical cannabis establishment must apply for and receive a permit from the county for the operations of any such facility. Applications must be submitted through the Lamar County Planning Department, which has the authority to approve or deny the permit.
A medical cannabis establishment shall not be permitted to be located within 1,000 feet of a school, church, daycare, or any county building, including but not limited to polling places/community centers, recreational facilities, and fire departments. However, a waiver can be obtained to circumvent that by receiving the respective facility and applying for a waiver from the state.
Likewise, no medical cannabis dispensary will be permitted to be located within a 1,500-foot radius from the primary point of entry of that facility to the primary point of entry to another dispensary. Hours of operation will be limited to no earlier than 9 am or later than 7 pm Monday through Saturday, and no earlier than 1 pm or later than 6 pm on Sunday.
All dispensary workers are required to have identification, and people under the age of 21 are not allowed to work at such facilities. Licenses and permits are required to be posted in an easy-to-view location within the facility.
Medical cannabis dispensaries will not be able to admit customers under the age of 21 onto the premises, unless that person is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
We will be allowed a medical cannabis cultivation or processing facility in the C-3/Highway Commercial and I-2/Heavy Industrial districts. They will be of conditional use in the Commercial District C-4/Vías Mayores.
The use of a medical cannabis testing or research facility will be permitted in District C-3/Highway Commercial and I-2/Heavy Industrial. They will be for conditional use in District C-4/Vías Mayores.
Any individual who violates the provisions of the ordinance will incur a misdemeanor. If he is found guilty, he will be ordered to pay a fine of not less than $200 or more than $1,000, or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both.
The medical marijuana law allows the use of medical marijuana in the state to treat debilitating conditions such as cancer, chronic pain, and seizures, among other illnesses. Cities and counties have the option of opting out entirely, meaning no selling or farming would be allowed at all, or opting out of part of the law and allowing only certain measures.
Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved the use of medical marijuana during the November 2020 general election, but that effort was soon overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court. However, the cannabis law was recently passed by both houses of the Mississippi Legislature, the House and the Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves shortly thereafter.
Entities have the opportunity to vote to opt out of the law; if no decision is made, the act automatically becomes law in that area.
Sumrall city officials recently opted out of the law, while Lumberton Mayor Quincy Rogers said he fully supports the measure. It is expected that the Board of Regidores of Pétalo will hold a work session on this matter in the near future.
David Hogan, president of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, said he is reluctant to speak for the board as a whole, but hopes the county will follow the governor’s decree. The City of Hattiesburg has not opted out of the law.
The Lamar County Board of Supervisors decided not to opt out of the law at the March 24 board meeting.
“My opinion technically doesn’t count; my job is not to opine on that, but to make sure that state and local laws are properly enforced, as legislators wish,” Waits said. “So the board of supervisors didn’t take any action against the law, or didn’t choose not to, so the next step would be to put in place an ordinance outlining where they could be allowed and in what zones.
“My part is also to make sure they have the proper state license to do it. Procedures and policies (should be) in place to follow the wishes of the board.”
