Medical cannabis patients misled by farm bill loophole
Patients may be confused where to purchase regulated medical cannabis, with shops that look similar to dispensaries muddying the waters.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – When patients visit a licensed medical cannabis dispensary, they can trust that their product has been tested and tracked from seed to store.
Dr. Kirk Kinard, a Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure general board member, and Pause Pain and Wellness president, said the state’s tracking is thorough.
“You can be assured that it has been tracked all the way from a plant to what was processed out of that plant,” Dr. Kinard said.
Kristy Beverlynn, district manager of The Half Oz said the state is also strict with testing standards.
“The state is very, very strict on their testing,” Beverlynn said. “Here in Mississippi, everything has to pass for mold, yeast, not just, you know, THC percentage.”
However, some businesses operate under the 2018 farm bill, skirting regulations by selling cannabis products with low levels of delta-9 THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.
This can be confusing for patients who can’t differentiate between licensed dispensaries and an unregulated shops said Dr. Kinard.
“The confusing point is I don’t know which is which,” Dr. Kinard said. “When I drive down South Jackson in Starkville I see a vape shop, I see a CBD shop, and I see something else with a leaf on it. And I heard about a dispensary, and I don’t know how to make heads or tails of this.”
Beverlynn said there’s one sure fire way to know if a dispensary is regulated.
“A legitimate dispensary will always ask you for your medical marijuana card and your driver’s license or photo identification,” Beverlynn said.
Dr. Kinard warns that unregulated cannabis sales also mean people who don’t need medical marijuana may be getting access, undermining the system.
“As a physician, we’re not we’re not accustomed to just handing someone a script and saying, ‘find it wherever you can,” Dr. Kinard said. “I hope you find it at a safe place.’ That’s just not good enough. So I’ve never been a proponent of cannabis for all. I’m a proponent of medical cannabis for patients.”
Two “Intoxicating Hemp” bills were proposed in the current Mississippi State legislative session.
One failed in the senate and one has been sent to a conference committee where members of each house will attempt to propose a compromise bill.
