On Nov. 3, not only do Mississippians take part in the presidential election, but also whether to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The entire initiative can be viewed on the Mississippi Secretary of State website. In another story in this edition, Miss. Sen. Angela Hill-R provided a breakdown of the bill and opposes it.
Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall said the matter is a touchy subject.
“It could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how it is written,” Hall said Thursday.
Hall said he did not like how the bill was written and that it needed to more precise than how it currently stands. He said he knows people that probably could be helped by it, but it needs to clearer on how it can be used and how it is distributed.
Speaking of distribution, Darren Higgs, a pharmacist and owner at Columbia Discount Drugs, said Thursday he did not care as long as he does not have to sell it.
“It’s hard enough to sell the legal stuff,” Higgs said.
A customer in the drugstore, Doris Temple, believes it should be made legal but did not elaborate.
Treva Morris of Bassfield said Thursday afternoon she was against it. First, from a Christian point of view, she doesn’t support allowing a controlled substance in the body, but that was not the only reason.
“It is just a gateway to what we are now dealing with with the opioid crisis and painkillers. Once your body adjusts to it, the body will just want more, and soon it will not be strong enough,” she said.
For Nancy Long of Lucedale, she too opposes it. She believes it will support addictions even more.
“Too many people are already addicted to it, just like with painkillers. They will go to their doctor and say they need something for pain and the doctor will prescribe it,” Long said Thursday.
Voters will have a chance to make the decision themselves on Nov. 3.
