The Senate is expected to have final vote on the medical marijuana bill by Wednesday morning.
Senator Kevin Blackwell and Representative Lee Yancey announced today that the House and Senate are at an agreement regarding changes made to the Senate’s medical marijuana bill, SB 2095.
When the bill was taken up in the House last week, three changes were made. Decreasing the amount allowable each month from 3.5 ounces to 3.0 ounces, removing the Department of Agriculture and Commerce from the program entirely, and allowing cultivators and processors of medical marijuana to also be located in commercially zoned areas.
According the what was said at the press conference, the lowered amount of marijuana allowable monthly and removal of MDAC will stay, but changes are to be expected to zoning.
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When the changes were made in the House, the Mississippi Municipal League (MML) came out against the allowance of cultivators and processors to be located in commercially zoned areas. During the press conference Blackwell said they are continually working out those zoning issues.
“Yesterday, the House passed SB 2095 but added that cultivators and processors can locate in areas zoned commercial. In the Senate bill, they could only locate in industrial or agriculture zoned areas,” a text message from MML sent to a member city and forwarded to Y’all Politics read. “The MML does not support this change. Please reach out to your Senators and ask them to vote against concurring with the House Bill and to vote to invite to conference. We want to protect property values and zoning authority!”
RELATED: Municipal League comes out against MS House version of Medical Marijuana bill
Due to the changes made in the House, the Senate could either concur, or invite conference on the bill to continue to work out the kinks. Blackwell and Yancey now say, those issues will be resolved in a conference report.
Conference will be invited at 1:00 on Tuesday when the Senate gavels in. Blackwell said he expects it to come to the floor on Wednesday for the final vote.
UPDATE 1:10 p.m. Tuesday:
Senator Hob Bryan, Chairman of Public Health and Welfare motioned not to concur and invite conference on SB 2095. After Senator Angela Hill made comments on the bill, the motion was carried. He then requested immediate release.
Sarah Ulmer
