By means of Monday, the state has culled practically $6 million in license and one-time utility charges from dispensaries, cultivators, transportation corporations, processors, and testing operations within the state.
By Brent Addleman, The Middle Sq.
With the medical marijuana program nonetheless in its infancy in Mississippi, the state is already raking in income.
By means of Monday, the state has culled practically $6 million in license and one-time utility fees from dispensaries, cultivators, transportation corporations, processors, and testing operations within the state, based on data posted on the state’s Division of Well being web site.
Whereas gross sales aren’t anticipated to start till November, there are already 113 licensed dispensaries on file with the state’s Division of Income, the entity amassing charges and taxes.
The Division of Well being didn’t reply to inquiries for this story.
The state has already gained $4.52 million in income from licensing and purposes charges for dispensaries by way of late September, and that income will solely proceed to rise as soon as gross sales start later this yr. All instructed, simply by way of licenses and costs, the state has collected $5.785 million.
When gross sales do start, medical marijuana shall be topic to a seven p.c state gross sales tax.
For the primary yr of this system, the state’s Division of Well being has arrange one-time charges of $40,000, which is comprised of a $25,000 license price and a $15,000 nonrefundable utility price, for dispensary licenses. Yearly renewals are set at $25,000.
Dispensary licenses are good for one yr, whereas cultivation licenses are good for simply 4 months, which falls simply past the 90-day gestation interval for medical marijuana vegetation. Transportation, processing and disposal license are additionally good for simply 4 months.
For transportation licenses, there’s a one-time utility price of $5,000 and a license price of $7,500. The identical charges are utilized to disposal licenses.
That state has introduced in $905,000 for cultivation licenses, $175,000 for processor licenses, $110,000 for micro-cultivation licenses, and $12,500 for disposal licenses; $37,500 for transportation companies; and $25,000 for testing amenities.
—
Marijuana Second is monitoring greater than 1,500 hashish, psychedelics and drug coverage payments in state legislatures and Congress this yr. Patreon supporters pledging a minimum of $25/month get entry to our interactive maps, charts and listening to calendar in order that they don’t miss any developments.
Study extra about our marijuana invoice tracker and change into a supporter on Patreon to get entry.
—
Beneath the Mississippi Medical Hashish Act, often known as Senate Invoice 2095, which was signed into legislation on February 2, sufferers will be capable to purchase flower, concentrated hashish merchandise, extracts, and different merchandise infused with hashish, which incorporates edibles, drinks, topical merchandise, ointments, and oils.
Taxes beneath the legislation are set at 5 p.c for cultivators when promoting to dispensaries and 7 p.c on gross sales at dispensaries to sufferers, based on the legislation.
Medical marijuana playing cards shall be out there to qualifying sufferers by way of the Division of Well being, and carry a nonrefundable price of $25, aside from veterans and disabled first responders who can have charges waived. Medicare sufferers pays simply $15 for a card.
Qualifying circumstances embrace most cancers, Parkinson’s illness, Huntington’s illness, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma, spastic quadriplegia, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;
Additionally, Crohn’s illness, ulcerative colitis, sickle-cell anemia, Alzheimer’s illness, agitation of dementia, post-traumatic stress dysfunction, autism, ache refractory to acceptable opioid administration, diabetic/peripheral neuropathy;
And likewise, spinal wire illness of extreme damage, or the remedy of a persistent, terminal, or debilitating illness.
Sufferers, based on the legislation, shall be permitted to buy 21 grams per week and 84 grams monthly. That works out to 2.96 ounces monthly, and simply 0.74 ounces per week.