A professional-medical hashish group has come out with robust opposition to the Metropolis of Southaven’s attainable transfer to opt-out of the regulation signed by Gov. Tate Reeves to permit medical marijuana within the state.
At a latest Southaven Board of Aldermen assembly, Mayor Darren Musselwhite mentioned that, whereas he helps medical marijuana, he was shifting towards recommending the aldermen vote to decide out of the regulation, which native governments have the choice to do earlier than Could 2. DeSoto County News reported on Musselwhite’s feedback at that assembly.
The rationale for Musselwhite’s attainable suggestion regards the lack to have zoning oversight of the place medical marijuana dispensaries might be situated.
“Cities will need to have zoning authority,” Musselwhite mentioned at that assembly. “There isn’t any enterprise in our metropolis that doesn’t need to abide by zoning rules. It didn’t occur for dispensaries.”
If native governing our bodies opt-out from the brand new regulation, it might probably decide again in after the Could deadline. Nevertheless, as soon as the Could 2 date passes, governments can’t decide out any extra.
The Horn Lake Board of Aldermen additionally mentioned the medical marijuana difficulty at its final assembly however no motion was taken at the moment.
The attainable transfer from the state’s third-largest metropolis got here with robust opposition from the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance (MCPA), a bunch that actively pushed for the regulation on behalf of 147,000 sufferers who would qualify for entry to the substance.
In a press release, MCPA said, “The Alliance strongly helps essentially the most handy entry for eligible sufferers to medical hashish, and any efforts that hinder affected person entry are detrimental to the well being of hundreds of Mississippians.”
The MCPA assertion went on to say this system assists sufferers in Southaven and throughout the state “in lowering pointless utilization of healthcare sources, lowers dependence on opioids, and provides sufferers long-sought medical freedom.”
Musselwhite didn’t ask for motion at that board assembly however mentioned a request to that impact could also be forthcoming sooner or later, saying he would make the advice that Southaven decide out till zoning ordinances for medical marijuana companies are allowed to be enacted.
If an modification is handed to incorporate zoning within the medical marijuana invoice, Musselwhite mentioned he and planning officers have already got plans to find dispensaries in what is taken into account the Medical District of Southaven.
“Proper now, dispensaries can go anyplace that’s zoned business within the metropolis,” Musselwhite mentioned. “It makes me nauseous to say what I’m about to say as a result of I’ve labored so exhausting and tried to advocate so exhausting for medical marijuana in our metropolis. I’m pro-medical marijuana however extra so, I’m pro-Southaven. The best way the invoice is true now, I don’t assume we have now any selection however to decide out.”
