Mississippi Mastery of Medical Cannabis Certification

Mississippi legislators recently passed a bill to allow medical cannabis access in the state. There are no provisions for personal cultivation by patients or caregivers. Patients will be allowed a monthly allotment of 3 ounces but will only be allowed to purchase a single 1/8th per day from state licensed retailers. This means to meet their monthly allotment, they would have to make 24 separate trips to the dispensary. Licenses are set to be awarded in August 2022, but zoning restrictions and heavy local control are likely to severely impact where businesses can operate.

Any physician who is licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi may issue a written order for CBD oil treatment to patients suffering with a debilitating epileptic condition or related illness.  The CBD oil must be administered by or under the direction or supervision of that physician.

Despite being the home of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s only facility where cannabis was once grown by the federal government, patients in Mississippi still face tremendous access problems. In 2014, Mississippi enacted HB 1231, which creates an affirmative defense for the possession and use of CBD oil solely for patients who suffer from debilitating epilepsy. Known as “Harper Grace’s Law,” the bill only provides legal protections to this extremely limited patient population only if the CBD oil was either obtained from or tested by the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, and dispensed by the Department of Pharmacy Services at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The law requires that CBD oil must have at least 15 percent CBD and no more than 0.5 percent THC.  In 2017, the legislature passed SB 2610, which clarifies the use of CBD in research for the treatment of seizures.  The Hospitality State decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis in 1979, penalizing first-offenders of 30 grams or less with a $250 fine rather than imprisonment.

Source: Americans for Safe Access

Mississippi is one of the 31 states that have decriminalized — or, in 18 cases, legalized — personal-use cannabis possession. First offense possession of 30 grams (a little more than an ounce) is punishable by a $250 fine instead of jail time and a civil summons as opposed to arrest, as long as the offender provides proof of identity and a written promise to appear in court. However, Mississippi’s cannabis law has a gaping loophole: possession of paraphernalia — such as the baggie cannabis is in — remains a criminal offense punishable by up to six months. Source: MPP

Mississippi-licensed physicians, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and optometrists may sign written certifications for conditions within their scope of practice for medical cannabis if they:

• believe the patient “would likely receive medical or palliative benefit” from medical cannabis to treat their qualifying condition;
• have performed an in-person assessment of the patient;
• perform a follow-up within six months to evaluate the effectiveness; and
• have completed eight hours of continuing medical education courses on medical cannabis, plus five hours every year thereafter.

The practitioner writing the certification must also diagnose the patient with the qualifying condition. Those written certifications must be issued on forms approved by the Mississippi Department of Health.

Qualifying Conditions

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Autism with aggressive behaviors
• Cachexia
• Cancer
• Crohn’s disease
• Dementia-related agitation
• HIV/Aids
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Huntington’s disease
• Intractable nausea
• Intractable seizures
• Multiple sclerosis and/or severe muscle spasticity
• Neuropathies
• Opioid management
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Severe chronic or intractable pain
• Spinal cord damage
• Sickle cell anemia
• Terminal illness
• Ulcerative colitis

• U.S. Controlled Substances Act
• Drug Schedule – Cannabis Schedule I
• Drug Schedule (Graphic)
• COVID Cannabis Guidelines
• Economic Impact
• Cannabis genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae
• Legal differentiation between hemp and marijuana distinguished by their respective concentrations of the cannabinoid delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• 2018 Farm Bill
  • Impact on hemp classification
• SAFE Banking Act
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507
• Trademarks
• Ogden Memo
• Cole Memo
• Wilkenson Memo
• 2018 Sessions Memorandum
• Rohrabacher–Blumenauer Amendment
• Joyce Amendment
• Conant v. Walters
•  What Medical Professionals Can Legally Provide To Their Patients (Graphic)
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Downloadable PDf
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Video Explainer
• Taxes
• Affirmative Defense
• Bankruptcy Protection
• Employment Law
• Access to Banking  – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FinCEN Guidance
• Copyright and Registration

• Origins of Cannabis
• Early History of Cannabis Cultivation
  • Silk Route
  • Indica
  • Sativa
  • Ruderalis
  • Hybrids
• Medical Cannabis Through The Ages – How Cannabis Spanned The Globe – Downloadable Graphic
• Medical Cannabis In Ancient China
• Medical Cannabis In Other Ancient Civilizations
• Cannabis Timeline – Downloadable Graphic
• Power Struggles Over Cannabis
• Cannabis In Europe and The West
• U.S. Prohibition
  • Marihuana Tax Act
  • Prohibition
  • “Reefer Madness”
• The Implications of U.S. Prohibition
• Shafer Commission
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• The Legacy Cannabis Marketplace
• Cannabis Cultivation Culture Booms
• The Beginning of the End of Prohibition
  • Prop 215 – Compassionate Care Act
  • I-502
  • Amendment 64
• U.S. Cannabis Policy Today
• Legal Cannabis Lexicon
• Hemp vs. Cannabis
• ASTM – D37 Committee

• Introduction of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
• Largest Receptor System
• ECS – Vaideo Explainer
• Newly Discovered
• Chemical Bridge to All Bodily Functions
• Homeostasis
• Healthy Body = Healthy ECS
• ECS – Downloadable Graphic
• Dr Jake Felice – What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)? Video Interview
• Largest Neurotransmitter System of all “the body’s supercomputer”
• 1964 discovery of THC and CBD – Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D and Yehiel Gaoni, Ph.D
• The Scientist – video regarding Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D discoveries
• Allyn Howlett, Ph.D  – Isolating THC in the brain – 1998
  • No cannabinoid receptors in the cardiac and respiratory centers of the brainstem therefore no overdose from cannabis
• Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D found in 1992, brain chemical that mirrors the effects of THC
  • Two brain chemicals – anandamide, Sanskrit word “ananda” brain chemical that mimics THC and CBD, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol, which they named 2-AG.
• Endogenous Molecules “endocannabinoids”.
• CB1 receptors, and CB2 receptors
• Cannabinoids and how they attach to receptors
• CB1 receptors
  • Located in the central nervous system and affect many brain functions including movement, anxiety, stress, fear, pain, appetite, reward, and motor control
• CB2 receptors
  • CB2 receptors control the release of cytokines, immuno-regulatory proteins, that are linked to inflammation during illness or after injury.
• Retrograde Inhibition
• Lack of education on the Endocannabinoid System
• Clinical Studies
• At a Glance – Downloadable Infographic
• Homeostatsis
• Humand Thriving Behavior and the ECS

• Minor Cannabinoids: CBG CBC CBN THCV
• Cannabinoid Guide – Downloadable Graphic
• Terpenes
• Terpene Chart – Downloadable Graphic
• What Are Terpenes? – Video
• The Entourage Effect
• Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects- Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? – Downloadable PDF
• Tolerance and ECS Down Regulation
• Botanical vs. Single Molecule Compounds & Cannabinoids and Opioids

• Inhalation: Smoking vs. Vaporization
• In the News Discussions
• Cannabis Flower vs. Concentrate
• Different Concentrate Consistencies
• Extraction Methods
• Winterization
• Concentrates Using Solvents
• Solventless Concentrates
• Edibles, Oral Mucosal, Topicals and Suppositories
• The Role of the Medical Provider
• The Role of the Dispensary: Experts within the Dispensary

• Considerations Before Medicating with Cannabis
• Set and Setting
• Drug-Drug Interactions
• Relative Contraindications
• Youth Under 25
• Patients and Cardiac Conditions
• Patients with Psychiatric Diagnoses
• Immunocompromised Patents
• Biphasic Effect
• Finding the Appropriate Dose
• Recommended Ratios for Specific Illnesses

• How Testing Works
• Contaminants: Pesticides, Fungi and Mold
• How to Interpret a Test

• Anxiety Disorders
• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Migraine Headaches
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Neuropathy
• Pain
• Palliative Care
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Endometriosis
• Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Menopause

• Opioids
• Cannabis and Opioids
• Global Patterns of Opioid Use and Dependence
• Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths
• Pain Management
• Comparative Pain Scale
• Addictive Potential of Opioids
• Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
• Underlying Principles – Downloadable Graphic
• Studies Show Cannabinoid Medications Effective in Reducing Opioid Use
• Cause of Death by Drug – Downloadable Graphic
• Drug Dependence
• Opioid Use Disorder
• Emerging Evidence for Cannabis’ Role in Opioid Use Disorder – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis: A Promising Option for the Opioid Crisis – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and NSAIDS: More Good News

• Gateway Theory, Addiction and Brain Function
• Cannabis is Highly Addictive
• Cannabis Kills Brain Cells
• Cannabis Kills Motivation
• Cannabis Impairs Memory
• Cannabis Leads to Insanity
• Cannabis Causes Lung Cancer
• Most Recreational Users are Heavy Users
• Cannabis is Dangerous

• Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)
• Short Term Side Effects
• Long Term Side Effects
• Physical Effects
  • Breathing Problems
  • Increased Heart Rate
  • Development
• Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome (CHS)
• Mental Effects
• What to Avoid
• Cannabis and Driving
• Cannabis Over Consumption
• Cannabis Tolerance