JACKSON, Miss.–You’ll likely see many things happen this legislative session. Teachers may get pay raises. There will likely be debate about expanding Medicaid and pping the state’s minimum wage, but what you probably won’t see this session or any other is the legalization of marijuana.
“We wouldn’t even consider that in Mississippi,” said Gov. Phil Bryant. “Any rational member of the legislature’s not gonna bring it up.”
But it has been brought up before and may be again. The website pp.org (Marijuana Policy Project) talks about state Sen. Deborah Dawkins’ (D-Pass Christian) efforts to legalize medical marijuana, which have been persistent, if not successful.
The site also refers to Dawkins as a ‘compassionate legislator”.
And there was a new CNN Research poll that said 55 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legalized, while 44 percent think it should remain illegal.
LINK: CNN Research Poll: http://www.hngn.com/articles/21368/20140107/more-americans-support-legalization-of-marijuana-according-to-new-poll-study-shows-spike-in-pot-acceptance.htm
Then, there’s Colorado, the talk of the marijuana town. You can buy an ounce of pot there (the amount that could get you a felony conviction in Mississippi) if you are a resident of the state. That’s recreational pot, not medical. They tax it at 25 percent.
“That’s so ridiculous,” said Bryant. “I think you’re gonna look back at Colorado in probably five to 8 years and they’re gonna be trying to reverse that. To have an opportunity for people to go and buy what should be a controlled substance. California is gonna pay the price.”
And if the legislature, or a member of it, were to bring it up this time around, “That will not be something we’ll be spending any of our time on.”
