420 with CNW — Mississippi Farmers Switch from Hemp to Growing Marijuana
Mississippi approved the use of medical cannabis last year after a lengthy legislative debate, though local governments were given the option to reject the initiative. Lincoln County was one of the counties that initially declined to participate in the program.
However, the decision prompted Timothy Gibson and Jason McDonald to take the lead in pushing for the legalization of medical cannabis in the county. The two succeeded in getting the issue on the ballot in August last year when county voters overturned the decision made by local officials.
After the vote, they got to work on starting their own medical cannabis cultivation facility — SADUJA — located in East Lincoln. In December 2022, the facility received a license to cultivate medical cannabis, making it the first in Lincoln County. “We have been cultivating hemp since its legalization in Mississippi,” McDonald said. “We provided hemp to regional stores in the state. People may not have been aware that cannabis was grown here legally prior to the legalization of medical marijuana. It was present and flourishing on the farm.
“I think people are typically afraid of new things,” McDonald continued. “It is essentially the same as what we’ve been doing, but on a larger scale, and we switched from using hemp to using medical cannabis. The plant is the same.”
According to McDonald, the local community has turned its attention to the medical cannabis industry. People should be aware that applying to work at a cannabis cultivation facility is a difficult process. For employment at the tea farm, according to McDonald, he can hire anyone over the age of 16, but for the medical marijuana farm, applicants must be at least 21 years old, citizens without a history of felony convictions, and able to pass a background check.
The medical marijuana bill was a major point of contention within the state’s legislature and between legislators and Governor Tate Reeves, who was persistent in imposing strict restrictions on any measure that emerged. Reeves was particularly worried about how much cannabis a patient could legally obtain. The governor preferred a daily limit of 2.7 grams; however, the bill presented to him and passed by a veto-proof majority, permits patients to purchase up to 3.5 grams up to six times a week.
Following his signing of the bill into law, Reeves stated that while the bill was not the one he would have drafted, legislators who made the final version made major improvements to get the state closer to achieving its ultimate goal.
Worries such as those faced by Reeves could soon be partially addressed if organizations such as India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) succeed in bringing to market various formulations targeting the different conditions for which patients are enrolling for medical marijuana in different jurisdictions around the country.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/IGC
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
Mississippi approved the use of medical cannabis last year after a lengthy legislative debate, though local governments were given the option to reject the initiative. Lincoln County was one of the counties that initially declined to participate in the program.
However, the decision prompted Timothy Gibson and Jason McDonald to take the lead in pushing for the legalization of medical cannabis in the county. The two succeeded in getting the issue on the ballot in August last year when county voters overturned the decision made by local officials.
After the vote, they got to work on starting their own medical cannabis cultivation facility — SADUJA — located in East Lincoln. In December 2022, the facility received a license to cultivate medical cannabis, making it the first in Lincoln County. “We have been cultivating hemp since its legalization in Mississippi,” McDonald said. “We provided hemp to regional stores in the state. People may not have been aware that cannabis was grown here legally prior to the legalization of medical marijuana. It was present and flourishing on the farm.
“I think people are typically afraid of new things,” McDonald continued. “It is essentially the same as what we’ve been doing, but on a larger scale, and we switched from using hemp to using medical cannabis. The plant is the same.”
According to McDonald, the local community has turned its attention to the medical cannabis industry. People should be aware that applying to work at a cannabis cultivation facility is a difficult process. For employment at the tea farm, according to McDonald, he can hire anyone over the age of 16, but for the medical marijuana farm, applicants must be at least 21 years old, citizens without a history of felony convictions, and able to pass a background check.
The medical marijuana bill was a major point of contention within the state’s legislature and between legislators and Governor Tate Reeves, who was persistent in imposing strict restrictions on any measure that emerged. Reeves was particularly worried about how much cannabis a patient could legally obtain. The governor preferred a daily limit of 2.7 grams; however, the bill presented to him and passed by a veto-proof majority, permits patients to purchase up to 3.5 grams up to six times a week.
Following his signing of the bill into law, Reeves stated that while the bill was not the one he would have drafted, legislators who made the final version made major improvements to get the state closer to achieving its ultimate goal.
Worries such as those faced by Reeves could soon be partially addressed if organizations such as India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) succeed in bringing to market various formulations targeting the different conditions for which patients are enrolling for medical marijuana in different jurisdictions around the country.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/IGC
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
