Medical Cannabis Advocates Urge Easier Access for Mississippi Patients

By Heather Harrison Medical-cannabis patient Becky Henderson suffered a spinal-cord injury in a car wreck when she was 21 years old, leaving the lower half of her body paralyzed. The Gulfport, Miss., resident gets around in a motorized wheelchair and can only leave her house a couple of times a month. During a meeting of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee on Dec. 20, 2023, Henderson proposed a series of changes to the state’s marijuana program, including suggesting that the State allow dispensaries to adopt patient delivery services and drive-throughs for those with mobility challenges. Telehealth should be available for all doctor’s visits for medical-cannabis patients, including the first appointment, she added. “People who have mobility issues are hesitant to join the program because they can’t get out of the house and most people don’t have a caregiver,” she told the committee. “Like, I’m very, very blessed (to have a caregiver). Why join a program you can’t utilize?” During the meeting, committee members approved a number of recommendations to lawmakers, including to allow dispensaries to deliver to caregiver facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and hospice settings. The Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee is made of nine members who must meet at...