Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee; extend repealer on.

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To: Public Health and Human
Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Shanks

HOUSE BILL NO. 1773

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 41-137-63, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE MEDICAL CANNABIS 2
ADVISORY COMMITTEE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. Section 41-137-63, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 5
amended as follows: 6
41-137-63. (1) (a) There is established a Medical Cannabis 7
Advisory Committee, which shall be the committee that is required 8
to advise the Legislature about medical cannabis and cannabis 9
products, patient care, services and industry. 10
(b) The advisory committee shall consist of nine (9) 11
members, as follows: 12
(i) The Governor shall appoint three (3) members 13
to the committee, as follows: 14
1. One (1) representative from the * * * 15
State Department of Health; 16
2. One (1) registered qualifying patient; and 17
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3. One (1) physician with experience in 18
medical cannabis issues; 19
(ii) The Lieutenant Governor shall appoint three 20
(3) members, as follows: 21
1. One (1) owner or agent of a medical 22
cannabis cultivation facility; 23
2. One (1) representative from the * * * 24
State Department of Health; and 25
3. One (1) qualified certified nurse 26
practitioner, physician assistant or optometrist; and 27
(iii) The Speaker of the House shall appoint three 28
(3) members, as follows: 29
1. One (1) owner or agent of a medical 30
cannabis processing facility; 31
2. One (1) owner or agent of a medical 32
cannabis dispensary; and 33
3. One (1) representative from the * * * 34
Department of Revenue. 35
(c) The advisory committee shall meet at least two (2) 36
times per year for the purpose of evaluating and making 37
recommendations to the Legislature and the * * * State Department 38
of Health and * * * the Department of Revenue regarding: 39
(i) The ability of qualifying patients in all 40
areas of the state to obtain timely access to high-quality medical 41
cannabis; 42
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(ii) The effectiveness of the medical cannabis 43
establishments in serving the needs of registered qualifying 44
patients, including the provision of educational and support 45
services by dispensaries, the reasonableness of their prices, 46
security issues, and the sufficiency of the number operating to 47
serve the state's registered qualifying patients; 48
(iii) The effectiveness of the cannabis testing 49
facilities, including whether a sufficient number are operating; 50
(iv) The sufficiency of the regulatory and 51
security safeguards contained in this chapter and adopted by the 52
MDOH to ensure that access to and use of cannabis cultivated is 53
provided only to cardholders; 54
(v) Any recommended additions or revisions to the 55
MDOH and MDOR rules and regulations or this chapter, including 56
relating to security, safe handling, labeling, nomenclature, and 57
whether additional types of licenses should be made available; and 58
(vi) Any research studies regarding health effects 59
of medical cannabis for patients. 60
(d) The advisory committee shall accept public comment 61
in writing and in person at least once per year. The advisory 62
committee shall meet at least two (2) times per year, and advisory 63
committee members shall be furnished written notice of the 64
meetings at least ten (10) days before the date of the meeting. 65
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ST: Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee; extend
repealer on.
(e) The chairman of the advisory committee shall be 66
elected by the voting members of the committee annually and shall 67
not serve more than two (2) consecutive years as chairman. 68
(f) The members of the advisory committee specified in 69
paragraph (b) of this subsection shall serve for terms that are 70
concurrent with the terms of members of the Legislature, and any 71
member appointed under paragraph (b) may be reappointed to the 72
advisory committee. The members of the advisory committee 73
specified in paragraph (b) shall serve without compensation, but 74
shall receive reimbursement to defray actual expenses incurred in 75
the performance of committee business as authorized by law. 76
(2) This section shall stand repealed on December 31, * * * 77
2029. 78
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 79
and after July 1, 2026. 80