Mississippians will choose whether to legalize medical marijuana in the state on Nov. 3.

The ballot contains two initiatives regarding medical marijuana.

Voters will be able to say whether they support one of the initiatives or neither one.

Initiative 65, which is the result of a petition that more than 228,000 Mississippians signed, would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer and epilepsy, to use medical marijuana, according to a Secretary of State brochure.

The other proposal, Initiative 65A, would create a medical marijuana program that lawmakers can regulate, according to Mississippi Today. A voter guide by Mississippi Today says that Initiative 65A will be more restrictive on medical marijuana use, while Initiative 65 will be less restrictive.

Initiative 65

If Initiative 65 passes, the Mississippi State Department of Health would enforce the amendment.

The measure would allow licensed treatment centers to distribute medical marijuana to patients. Medical marijuana could be taxed no more than the state sales tax rate, and tax revenue would go towards the marijuana program.

Jamie Grantham, the communications director for Medical Marijuana 2020, said she is pleased that Mississippians will have the option to decide on “this very critical issue that should not be political.”

Grantham sees medical marijuana as a medical issue that should be between patients and their doctors.

“The very sickest patients in Mississippi, who would benefit from Initiative 65’s medical marijuana program — we’re talking about cancer patients, ALS patients, seizure patients — they should be able to have that conservation with their doctor,” she said. “And right now, that it literally illegal to do.”

Steve Mooneyham, executive director and treasurer of the Gulf Coast Baptist Association, opposes the initiative. He said that none of the revenue will go into the state’s general fund, which means that the revenue won’t go toward schools, repairing local roads and other similar efforts.

Mooneyham also said that the initiative takes law out of the hands of the legislature.

“The Initiative 65 takes the control entirely out of the hands of the legislature, puts it in the hands of a body that now becomes a taxing agency and a collection agency that they’re not intended to be,” he said, referring to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Initiative 65A

The state legislature created Initiative 65A as a competing initiative to Initiative 65. It would establish a medical marijuana program that would be administered by “an appropriate state agency,” according to the full text of the initiative. That agency would need to seek the advice of health professionals when designing the program.

Grantham, of Medical Marijuana 2020, said the initiative is not “a genuine attempt by the legislature.”

“65A was placed on the ballot after Initiative 65 qualified to dilute the votes by confusing the issues to try to block medical marijuana,” she said.

Mooneyham said he is not in favor of either initiative, but if he he had to choose between them, he would prefer 65A, because it would put oversight of medical marijuana in the hands of lawmakers.

What the language on the ballot means

On the ballot, voters will see two statements regarding the initiatives.

The first concerns whether to amend the state’s constitution with one of the initiatives or whether the voter does not want either initiative, according to the Secretary of State brochure.

Voters who want to support one of the initiatives must select “FOR APPROVAL OF EITHER.”

People who want to cast a vote opposing both initiatives must select “AGAINST BOTH.”

Voters will then be asked whether they want to vote for Initiative 65 or Initiative 65A. Voters can choose to not respond to this question if they would prefer not to, according to the Secretary of State’s office. 

If a majority of people who answer the first question are for either initiative, the initiative that receives the most votes in the second question will pass, according to Mississippi Election Code.

If a majority of people who answer the first question are against both both initiatives, neither initiative will succeed.

To be enacted, an initiative would also need to receive, at minimum, 40% of total votes cast in the election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

A passed initiative wouldn’t go into effect until 30 days from when the Secretary of State officially declares the results of the vote.