Cannabis in Mississippi

Mississippi voters approved medical marijuana in November 2020, the state Supreme Court threw the measure out in May 2021, and lawmakers wrote their own program instead. Governor Tate Reeves signed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act on February 2, 2022, and dispensaries opened for patients in the following year. The State Department of Health runs patient cards and certifiers through its Office of Medical Cannabis, while the Department of Revenue licenses dispensaries and collects the taxes.

The state's 2025 annual report shows a program that is large and still growing. Active patients rose from 49,626 to 66,041 during 2025, and retail sales reached about $138.9 million. Licensed dispensaries numbered 171 at the end of December 2025, down from 200 a year earlier as smaller operators dropped out. Flower averaged $22.50 per unit and transdermal patches $69.16. Cannabis sales tax brought in $9.0 million and the excise tax $2.18 million.

Access follows a strict script. A registered practitioner (physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or optometrist) certifies a qualifying condition, and the first certification must be in person; renewals can be done by telehealth. The card costs $25 ($15 for Medicaid participants, and disabled veterans and first responders can get a waiver). Residents may buy up to 3.5 grams of flower a day and 24 medical cannabis equivalency units over 30 days, and may hold up to 28 units at a time. Nonresidents with an active card from another state can apply for a 15-day Mississippi card. Use in public places or a vehicle is not protected.

Outside the program cannabis is still a crime, though a first offense for 30 grams or less is a civil fine of $100 to $250 rather than an arrest, according to NORML's reading of the statute. Paraphernalia, including the bag, remains a misdemeanor, and amounts over 30 grams are felonies. There is no adult-use market. The linked guides cover the card process and the penalty lines.