County Establishes Medical Cannabis Zoning

Oct. 5, 2022

Source: Rankin County News

RANKIN - With the rollout of the state's Medical Cnnabis Act on the near horizon, county officials have designated the areas where different components of the program can be located. 

Patients are already qualifying for medical cannabis prescriptions, and harvesters are working to get thier product to the dispensaries later this fall.

Rankin supervisors, working in conjunctions with officials form the Central Mississippi Planning & Development District, have established across-to-board "conditional use" zoning regulations fro the various elements of the program.

The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act will be regulated by the state Department of Health.

"All medical cannabis facilities to be located in unincorporated Rankin County, in addition to being restricted to specific zones, will be allowed only as conditional uses, meanding that no facility will be 'outright allowed' but will have to go through the conditional use process, whereby the Board of Supervisors sets conditions on each facility, including hours of operation, signage, safety and other considerations," board Attorney Craig Slay said.

The established and approved conditional use zones include:

• C-3 (commercial) for dispensaries, research, and testing;
• A-1 and A-2 (agricultural) for cultivation;
• I-1 and I-2 (industrial) for cultivation, processing, disposal, and transportation of the product.

The county's zoning revisions include the following provisions for medical cannabis establishments:

• All requirements of federal, state and local laws shall be met, and permits for operation will be maintained by the Mississippi Department of Health. This shall include all building code regulations adopted by the Rankin County Board of Supervisors.
• All medical cannabis establishments must submit a preliminary site plan review package to the (county) zoning administrator when submitting a Conditional Use application. This requirement is to ensure the establishment is located in an area of the county that has adequate infrastructure to meet the needs of the establishment. Such infrastructure may include electricity, water for cultivation and/or processing as well as fire suppression, wastewater treatment and removal, and roadway/bridge capacity.
• A privilege license and operation permit must be obtained from the Mississippi Department of Health and the local zoning adminstrator prior to the initiation of a medical cannabis establishment. The local permit shall cost an initial fee of $5,000, and the permit shall be renewed annually for a fee of $2,500.

Patients with more than 20 medical conditions, inlcuding cancer, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma, spastic quadriplegia, positive HIV status, AIDS, hepatitis, ALS, Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, sickle-cell anemia, Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, opiod-managed pain, diabetic or peripheral neuropahty, spinal cord disease or severe injury, cachexia or wasting sydrome, chronic pain, severe or intractable nausea, seizures, and severe and persistent muscle spasms can qualify for the program.

Applications are now being accepted by the Department of Health for patients and caregivers, medical practioners, facilities, licensing of dispensaries, and related services.