A Mississippi lawmaker claims  there are enough votes in the legislature to override the governor’s veto and pass a medical cannabis bill. He claims they have enough votes to pass the bill and can also override the veto if necessary. The governor currently opposes the bill.

The governor opposes the bill because he says it would allow residents to purchase too much cannabis. Rep. Lee Yancey claims the amount that would be allowed is reasonable.

“We feel like we have the votes, we have the votes to pass it, which is 60%,” Yancey said. “We have the votes to override a veto, which is 67%.”

Kevin Caldwell, southeast legislative manager for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Cannabis News Box that the governor is wrong about this bill.

“Governor Tate Reeves’ recent social media post indicating he would veto medical cannabis legislation unless purchase limits are halved is an affront to voters, including thousands of seriously ill Mississippians who have been forced to wait for relief for more than a year,” Caldwell said.
“His reasoning is founded on inaccurate assumptions and lacks compassion.”

Caldwell said the bill isn’t perfect, but it would be a significant accomplishment. He said he hopes the legislature passes the bill and then it can be improved upon later.

“It would be a big deal. We have seen little motivation by the Mississippi legislature to implement a medical cannabis program in recent years. Initiative-65 let the legislature know that their citizens want a functioning program,” Caldwell said. “As we continue to see medical programs bills pass in Alabama and Georgia, it is refreshing to see a bill that would actually provide relief to patients in Mississippi. The draft legislation we have seen is on par with Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida with nuances between all those programs.”

Legalization is gaining steam in the South, Caldwell said, but it may take time for legislatures to catch up to public support. Both Democrats and Republicans in the South are starting to get on board with legalization.

“We are seeing more and more bi-partisian support for legalization efforts. So we are seeing movement towards lowering penalties which is a great first step towards ending prohibition,” Caldwell said.

If Rep. Yancey is correct about the votes, medical cannabis could soon be legalized in Mississippi and residents could finally have access to the
medicine they need.