- The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association recommended requiring an annual follow-up visit, instead of one every six months, among other recommendations made to lawmakers.
A legislative Cannabis Advisory Committee heard ways to improve the state’s medical marijuana laws on Thursday as lawmakers consider options to ease patients’ pain and practitioners’ record-keeping.
Some of the recommendations by the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association would make it easier for medical users to stay up to date with their prescription cards and extend the period between doctor visits.
The Association’s director, Henry Crisler, told the committee that Mississippi has witnessed a drop in card users in the last six months. The card must be renewed annually. Crisler’s group recommends the Legislature change it to a two-year renewal, noting that 35 of Mississippi’s 82 counties are without a practitioner.
Also, the group recommended requiring an annual follow-up visit, instead of one every six months. Some patients are required to travel half an hour or more to see a licensed cannabis practitioner for an examination.
Another problem with the follow-up requirements is selective enforcement, Crisler noted.
“The six-month requirement is not enforced in the state,” he said. “There are doctors who practice it and there are doctors who don’t.”
Changing the practitioner’s follow-up to a yearly requirement would make it more enforceable, he stated.
Another recommendation the Association suggested were making medical cannabis accessible for any condition. Currently, the state limits cannabis prescriptions for certain ailments, such as cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic, terminal or debilitating diseases. The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association also want to see the state adopt a “Right-to-Try” expansion in the law.
Crisler said medical cannabis brings in tens of millions of dollars to state coffers and helps tens of thousands of people. A recent study, he said, found the average amount spent per month on medical marijuana is close to $200.
Members of the legislative committee expressed concerns about expanding a drug that is still illegal in the Magnolia State.
Audience members were mostly for expanding the program. The crowd which filled much of the hearing room were a mix of all ages and walks of life, from seniors to 20-somethings, from 70-year-olds to Millennials.
“If pain can be alleviated, why not expand the program?” asked Kenneth Jackson, a 67-year-old with many illnesses, as people seated near him shook their heads in agreement.
Daniel Tyson
