Commissioner Gipson wrote a letter to members of the Mississippi Legislature notifying them of the agency’s position.
Today, Commissioner Andy Gipson with the Department of Agriculture and Commerce sent the Mississippi Legislature a letter in which he emphasized how he is “adamantly opposed” to having any role in regulating medical marijuana.
“Not withstanding what you may have been told or what may be represented in the future, I want to know I remain adamantly opposed to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce having any role in regulating medical marijuana so long as marijuana remains a prohibited Schedule 1 Controlled Substance under State and/or Federal law,” Commissioner Gipson wrote in the letter.
Gipson stated that depending on the wording of the bill, the proposal would make him violate his oath of office and would also directly defy the votes of Mississippians who passed Initiative 65 which asks for no regulatory role for the agency.
The Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner stated that he would welcome any questions or provide additional information and would willingly appear at any committee meeting.
“We all represent the same citizens and we owe it to them to get this right,” Gipson wrote.
Read the full letter below.
Anne Summerhays
