Adopted

AMENDMENT NO 1 PROPOSED TO

Cmte Sub for House Bill No.  976

BY: Representative Bain

     AMEND after line 329 by inserting the following after the period, and renumbering the succeeding section:

     "SECTION 5  . Section 20 of Senate Bill 2095, 2022 Regular Session, is amended as follows:

Section 20. Requirements, prohibitions and penalties.  (1)  Medical cannabis establishments shall conduct a background check into the criminal history of every person seeking to become a principal officer, board member, agent, volunteer, or employee before the person begins working at or for the medical cannabis establishment.

     (2)  A medical cannabis establishment may not employ any person who:

          (a)  Was convicted of a disqualifying felony offense;  or

          (b)  Is under twenty-one (21) years of age.

     (3)  The operating documents of a medical cannabis establishment must include procedures for the oversight of the medical cannabis establishment and procedures to ensure accurate record keeping and adequate security measures.

     (4)  A medical cannabis establishment shall implement appropriate security measures designed to deter and prevent the theft of medical cannabis and unauthorized entrance into areas containing medical cannabis.

     (5)  All cultivation, harvesting, processing and packaging of medical cannabis must take place in an enclosed, locked and secure facility with a physical address provided to the MDOH during the licensing and registration process.  The facility shall be equipped with locks or other security devices that permit access only by agents of the medical cannabis establishment, emergency personnel or adults who are twenty-one (21) years of age and older and who are accompanied by medical cannabis establishment agents.  

     (6)  No medical cannabis establishment other than a cannabis processing facility or cannabis research facility may produce cannabis concentrates, cannabis extractions, or other cannabis products.

     (7)  A medical cannabis establishment may not share office space with or refer patients to a practitioner.

     (8)  Medical cannabis establishments are subject to inspection by the MDOR and MDOH during business hours.

     (9)  Before medical cannabis may be dispensed to a cardholder, a dispensary agent must:

          (a)  Require that the individual present a registry identification card;

          (b)  Make a diligent effort to verify that the registry identification card presented to the dispensary is valid;

          (c)  Make a diligent effort to verify that the person presenting the registry identification card is the person identified on the registry identification card presented to the dispensary agent using an independent, third-party age verification service which shall have at least a ninety-five percent (95%) accuracy rating according to national standards in order to be in compliance with the identification requirements of this section ; and

          (d)  Not believe that the amount of medical cannabis dispensed would cause the person to possess more than the allowable amount of medical cannabis.

     (10)  A medical cannabis establishment shall not sell more than the allowable amount of medical cannabis to a cardholder.  A resident cardholder shall not obtain more than a total of six (6) MMCEUs of allowable medical cannabis in a week from a dispensary or a combination of dispensaries.  A resident cardholder shall not obtain more than a total of twenty-four (24) MMCEUs of allowable medical cannabis in thirty (30) days from a dispensary or a combination of dispensaries.

     The possession limit for resident cardholders of the allowable amount of medical cannabis shall be a total of twenty-eight (28) MMCEUs.  There shall not be a possession limit on nonconsumable medical cannabis, including, but not limited to, suppositories, ointments, soaps, and lotions or other topical agents.

     (11)  For purposes of this chapter, total THC is defined as THCA multiplied by .877 plus THC Delta 9 and all other psychoactive forms or isomers of THC added together.  A medical cannabis establishment shall not sell cannabis flower or trim that has a potency of greater than thirty percent (30%) total THC.  A medical cannabis dispensary shall not sell cannabis tinctures, oils or concentrates that have a potency of greater than sixty percent (60%) total THC.  Cannabis products that have a potency of over thirty percent (30%) total THC shall be clearly labeled as "extremely potent."  Edible cannabis products, including food or drink products, that have been combined with usable cannabis or cannabis products shall be physically demarked and labeled with a clear determination of how much total THC is in a single-serving size and how much THC is in the entire package.

     A medical cannabis product shall contain a notice of harm regarding the use of cannabis products.  Edible cannabis products shall be homogenized to ensure uniform disbursement of cannabinoids throughout the product.  All molded edible cannabis products shall be presented in the form of geometric shapes and shall not be molded to contain any images or characters designed or likely to appeal to minors, such as cartoons, toys, animals or children.

     (12)  A dispensary may not dispense more than the allowable amount of cannabis to a registered qualifying patient or a nonresident cardholder, directly or via a registered designated caregiver.  Dispensaries shall ensure compliance with this limitation by maintaining internal, confidential records that include records specifying how much medical cannabis is being dispensed to the registered qualifying patient or nonresident cardholder and whether it was dispensed directly to a registered qualifying patient, nonresident cardholder or to the registered designated caregiver.

     (13)  A nonresident cardholder shall not obtain more than a total of six (6) MMCEUs of allowable medical cannabis in a week from a dispensary or a combination of dispensaries.  A nonresident cardholder shall not obtain more than a total of twelve (12) MMCEUs of allowable cannabis from a dispensary or a combination of dispensaries in a fifteen-day period.

     (14)  A nonresident may apply to receive a nonresident registry identification card up to thirty (30) days before arriving in Mississippi.  A nonresident registry identification card shall be valid for fifteen (15) days.  After the expiration of the card, a nonresident may apply for a renewal of the card and may be granted another card which shall be valid for another fifteen-day period.  A nonresident registry identification card shall only be valid, at a maximum, for two (2) separate periods of fifteen (15) days in a three-hundred-sixty-five-day period.  An applicant may indicate on his or her application the specific time period that he or she wishes for the card to be valid.  The possession limit of the allowable amount of medical cannabis for nonresident cardholders shall be fourteen (14) MMCEUs.

     (15)  A medical cannabis dispensary agent or employee shall not issue a written certification.  Employees and agents of a medical cannabis dispensary shall complete at least eight (8) hours of continuing education in medical cannabis as regulated by the MDOR in order to be certified to work at a medical cannabis dispensary.  After the first year of employment, these employees shall complete five (5) hours of continuing education in medical cannabis annually to maintain this certification.

     (16)  Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, a patient with a debilitating medical condition who is between eighteen (18) years to twenty-five (25) years of age is not eligible for a medical cannabis registry identification card unless two (2) practitioners from separate medical practices have diagnosed the patient as having a debilitating medical condition after an in-person consultation.  One (1) of these practitioners must be a physician or doctor of osteopathic medicine.

     If one (1) of the recommending practitioners is not the patient's primary care practitioner, the recommending practitioner shall review the records of a diagnosing practitioner.  The requirement that the two (2) practitioners be from separate medical practices does not apply if the patient is homebound or if the patient had a registry identification card before the age of eighteen (18).

     (17)  A medical cannabis establishment shall not allow an individual who is younger than twenty-one (21) years old to enter the premises of the establishment unless the individual possesses a registry identification card and is accompanied by his or her legal guardian.  

     (18)  A medical cannabis establishment shall only purchase, grow, cultivate, and use cannabis that is grown and cultivated in this state.  Any medical cannabis that is grown and cultivated in this state shall not be transported outside of this state.  

     (19)  Employees of all medical cannabis establishments shall apply for a work permit with the MDOH and MDOR, as applicable, before beginning employment with any establishment.  The licensing agency for the respective medical cannabis establishment may issue work permits to these individuals.  These licensing agencies shall maintain a work registry of all applicants and work permits issued.  The fee for a work permit shall be Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) and the permit shall be valid for five (5) years.  Work permits shall be the property of the employee and shall not be transferable to other employees.

     (20)  For purposes of this subsection, "plant growth regulator cannabis" shall mean a cannabis plant whose growth and structure has been modified using plant growth hormones.  A cannabis cultivation facility shall not cultivate and a cannabis dispensary shall not sell, transfer or provide for consumption plant growth regulator cannabis.

     (21)  A medical cannabis dispensary shall only make sales to cardholders inside the dispensary.  A medical cannabis dispensary shall not sell or otherwise convey medical cannabis to a cardholder through the means of a drive-through, curbside delivery or other delivery outside the premises of the dispensary.

     (22)  Any and all contracts or agreements entered into by the MDOH and MDOR for information technology software, hardware, and/or services for the purpose of implementing and/or operating under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act shall include language reasonably limiting the ability of the vendor to escalate the ongoing cost of such software, hardware, and/or services during the term of the contract, including any amendments and/or extensions.

     (23)  The MDOR and MDOH shall not share the name, address or personal data of a registry identification cardholder to any federal government entity."