Cannabis Law: Mississippi Medical Marijuana Owner/Entity Qualifications

On May 7, 2021, the Mississippi Department of Health released regulations on the qualifications and limitations for owners, board members, officers, agents, employees and contractors of licensed entities for Mississippi’s medical marijuana program (i.e. cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries).

The regulations provide several qualifications relevant to applications for cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries.

Individual requirements
For individuals, the requirements are:

1. Must be at least 21 years old
2. Applicant has not previously held a license that has been revoked for any type of licensed entity participating in the medical marijuana program
3. Applicant has not been convicted of a disqualifying criminal conviction in the past five years
4. If the applicant holds a professional license, the license is in good standing.
5. Does not owe a debt to Mississippi
6. A minimum of 25% of the controlling ownership must be held by a current Mississippi resident.

Entity requirements
For entities, the requirements are:

1. No owner, board member or officer us under 21 years of age
2. No owner, board member or officer has held a license that has been revoked for an entity participating in the medical marijuana program
3. No owner, board member or officer has been convicted of a disqualifying criminal conviction within the last five years
4. If any owner, board member or officer has a professional license, the license must be in good standing
5. No owner, board member or officer owes a debt to Mississippi
6. A minimum of 25% of the controlling ownership of the entity must be held by current Mississippi residents.

Application process
When applying for these types of operations, the applicant must provide:

1. Evidence of authorization to occupy the location
2. A plan for operating
3. Timeline for beginning operations
4. Tax identification number issued by the Mississippi Department of Revenue