OXFORD, MISS — Authorized hashish is coming to Mississippi sooner somewhat than later.
Voters handed initiative 65 again in 2020, and Governor Tate Reeves lastly signed a medical marijuana invoice into legislation in February after over a yr of debates and objections from lawmakers.
Massive industrial growers at the moment are shopping for up properties throughout the state in an effort to get in on the bottom flooring of an business that has supplied financial boons in different states.
One such grower is Good Day Farm, who lately bought property within the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park in Lafayette County. Good Day Farm is an industrial-scale medical marijuana producer primarily based in Arkansas that has services in Pine Bluff, Ark., Rustin, La., and Columbia, Mo.
The corporate hopes to start working in Lafayette county as quickly attainable, however county officers could produce other concepts. The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors is internet hosting a gathering Monday to debate opting-out of the medical marijuana legislation, which might put Good Day Farm and different growers seeking to transfer into the world in a bind.
“Clearly we hope that they don’t choose out,” stated Good Day Farm board member Nate Metal. “We really feel like we’re a great candidate to be the kind of facility that can be a optimistic affect in the neighborhood. We’re a great employer, we’re a high-quality operator… so we hope we’ll have the ability to function there.”
Metal says the corporate is keen to start operations, however that also they are hesitant to start pouring cash into the ability with a lot uncertainty concerning the standing of authorized hashish in Lafayette County.
“We’re not going to recover from our skis. We’re going to ensure the county desires us to function there and that we get a license from the state earlier than transferring any additional,” stated Metal.
Metal says the ability can be used to develop high-quality, medical-grade hashish for sufferers affected by most cancers, PTSD, continual ache, or plenty of different situations outlined by the state.
“There can be no dispensary, it’s cultivation and processing solely. It’s a totally indoor, high-touch, high-tech rising operation,” he stated. “We produce quite a lot of merchandise. We do produce a number of strains of flower, however we additionally produce tinctures, gummies, edibles and quite a lot of different merchandise.”
He added that this system will probably solely have an effect on a small variety of Mississippians, not like medical marijuana applications in different states the place giant swaths of the inhabitants instantly utilized for affected person playing cards.
“I don’t assume it’ll be like Oklahoma. I don’t assume it’ll be a wide-open program the place 10% of the inhabitants has a affected person card. I believe it’ll most likely be nearer to Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri the place 3% of the general inhabitants are certified sufferers,” Metal stated.
There may be at present no timetable for when Good Day Farm will transfer into the brand new facility. The state of Mississippi will launch guidelines and laws for medical marijuana growers by June 2 on the newest, and the corporate hopes to obtain a license to start working shortly thereafter.
“We gained’t waste any time in ending out the ability, and transferring in and on the point of function as soon as we all know we now have a license and we all know what the principles and laws are for that facility,” stated Metal.
The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors will host a gathering to debate opting out of the medical marijuana legislation on Monday at 5 p.m. within the Chancery Constructing.
