The Mississippi Supreme Court voided a voter-ratified medical cannabis measure.
JACKSON — Earlier this month, the state Mississippi Supreme Court on Friday struck down a medical marijuana legalization initiative that voters had overwhelmingly approved last November, which is shattering a potential market worth more than $250 million.
This is unfortunate because the court order voided a citizen-backed vote that passed the entire state’s electorate by a nearly 3 to 1 margin in favor of the reform measures.
“The Mississippi Supreme Court just overturned the will of the people of Mississippi,” said Ken Newburger, the executive director for the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, in a statement to trade publication to MJBizDaily.com.
Newburger said: “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.”
This is also the second time in less than a month that a supreme court from a Deep South state ruled against constitutional marijuana legalization measures.
The other case involved the high court in Florida rejecting an adult-use measure to legalize pot for the 2022 general election ballot.
Elsewhere in the United States, other state courts take on the claim that marijuana legalization efforts shouldn’t be decided by voters.
This also includes politicized justices that ruled against a similar measure with the South Dakota high court.
Matthew Schweich, the deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, also called the high court’s decision a “deeply flawed ruling” that marks a “cruel and tragic day for sick and suffering people in Mississippi.”
“The legislature must take action to fix the ballot initiative requirements and honor the will of their constituents by enacting Amendment 65 into law through the legislative process,” Schweich wrote in a press statement to the publication MJBizDaily.com.
Florida Supreme Court Kills 2022 Marijuana Legalization Initiative
