Mississippi Supreme Court nullifies the votes of 74% of Mississippi voters; Strikes down medical marijuana program

Today the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled against the state’s ballot initiative process, killing the medical marijuana program 74% of Mississippians voted to pass in November. The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, also known as 3MA, says this is devastating for not only patients, but voters as a whole.

“The Mississippi Supreme Court just overturned the will of the people of Mississippi,” said Ken Newburger, Executive Director for the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. “Patients will now continue the suffering that so many Mississippians voted to end. The Court ignored existing case law and prior decisions. Their reasoning ignores the intent of the constitution and takes away people’s constitutional right. It’s a sad day for Mississippi when the Supreme Court communicates to a vast majority of the voters that their vote doesn’t matter.”

74% of Mississippians passed Initiative 65 at the polls in November, winning in all 82 counties. The Mississippi State Department of Health has been in the process of writing the regulations and setting up the program with the intent of it starting in August.

“228,000 Mississippians signed petitions to put medical marijuana on the ballot last year, and an overwhelming majority of the state voted to approve it in November,” said Angie Calhoun, Board Member of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. “In addition to silencing the votes of three-fourths of the state, today the Supreme Court squashed the hope of thousands of patients like my son, who will now not be able to find relief through medical marijuana. As a mother of a patient, I am heartbroken and outraged that this was allowed to happen.”