Mississippi becomes the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana

On Wednesday, Mississippi became the 37th state to allow the use of medical marijuana after the governor signed legislation allowing cannabis to be used to treat severe health conditions.

Governor Tate Reeves signed the final version of the legislation, allowing the use of marijuana to treat health conditions such as cancer, AIDS, autism, Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients in Mississippi will now be able to obtain three ounces of cannabis per month.

"There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis," Reeves posted on Twitter. "There are also those who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more people smoking and less people working, with all the societal and family ills that that brings."

The new law will allow cannabis to be prescribed for any “pain state in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated ... and which no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible."

To obtain medical marijuana, individuals must have a prescription from a licensed health care professional. Adults between 18 and 25 require a prescription from a physician.