The Mississippi House on Thursday concurred with Senate changes to HB 895, leaving patient medical cannabis cards valid for 12 months and requiring caregiver background checks every two years, lawmakers said.
The House had proposed extending card validity to 24 months, but the Senate rejected that change. “We had moved the validity of the card from 12 to 24 months, and they wanted to move it back to 12 months,” Rep. Yancey said on the House floor after making a motion to concur with the Senates changes.
Under the amended bill, caregivers who hold licenses to fill prescriptions for patients with valid medical cannabis cards will undergo follow-up background checks every two years. The bill originally would have kept checks annual; the House had proposed extending the period up to five years before the Senate settled on two years.
The measure maintains the existing six-month follow-up visit with a patients medical practitioner, though Rep. Yancey said the practitioner may shorten or extend that interval. The bill now heads to the governors desk.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
