Mississippi Overturns Legalization Vote Over its Ballot Initiative Process

Perhaps it’s just me but I was under the impression that when Americans voted for something, the majority vote ruled.  In November of 2020, voters in Mississippi decided on the question to legalize or not to legalize medical cannabis. 74% of the voters in the state of Mississippi said yes to medical cannabis embracing it despite strong opposition by ill-informed opponents.

These opponents may have been ill-informed but they were well connected it looks like. Apparently, in America, a small group of politicians with personal agendas can overturn the vote of the people. This is exactly what happened in Mississippi. There was an old way to remember the spelling for Mississippi that my grandma taught me, it started out M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, and so on. Mississippi lawmakers definitely put the crooked letters in Mississippi. That explains why there are two sets of crooked letters in there. One is because they were crooked for keeping cannabis from the people and the other for taking it away from the people by destroying the state constitutional ballot initiative process.

Strong Opposition Has Made Personal Agendas Evident

If this doesn’t scream private personal agenda I’m not sure what does. Now let’s take a closer look at just what the heck is going on in the crooked letter, crooked letter state. I’m not sure what Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has up his sleeves, but it doesn’t look good for the great state of Mississippi regarding the people’s vote for legalizing medical cannabis. Legalizing medical cannabis was met by strong opposition by the medical community and by law enforcement in the state of Mississippi.

The State’s Ballot Initiative Process

Outdated language pertaining to Mississippi’s constitutional ballot initiative process came to life in 1992. Over the last 21 years, the language for the initiative has remained untouched. This left a disastrous loophole that politicians waited to use until they saw fit. Voters in the Magnolia state have passed three constitutional ballot initiatives since 1992. In 2011, one of those initiatives restricted the state’s power of eminent domain. That same year voters also passed a state constitutional ballot initiative requiring voters to show state-issued ID. Lawmakers in the state of Mississippi remained silent about their secret weapon and waited to strike until they felt the time was right.

Apparently, that time was after voters passed medical cannabis legalization in 2020. So just what was that secret weapon, it was basically a delete button. Let the people think they’re making progress. Let the people think they’re helping write laws. When something comes up we don’t like all we have to do is delete it. The Mississippi Supreme Court declared the ballot initiative process “unworkable and inoperable on its face”, and basically destroyed the ballot initiative process. This brings into question if the other two initiatives passed in 2011 are valid. Since the entire ballot process no longer exists most likely the answer is no.

A Pattern All Too Common in the Southeast

It takes a special kind of person to continue to support draconian cannabis prohibition today. Cannabis prohibition was built on racism, sexism, and control of the American people. By supporting cannabis prohibition, you continue to support outdated, ill-informed, and wrong ways of the past. In states like Mississippi though it should be no surprise. Aside from Florida, southern states are not known for being very welcoming to cannabis legalization. Tennessee and Georgia have medical cannabis programs that are incredibly restrictive. North Carolina and South Carolina, well you can see where that’s going. Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi obviously show where they stand on cannabis. At least Virginia has stepped up to the plate setting an example.

I’m not sure if lawmakers realize it or not but when they support continued cannabis prohibition, it makes them look greedy, purchased, and racist. Cannabis could be a beautiful thing if it could just be left alone. Let people research it. Let people utilize its medicinal values. When it comes to cannabis, politicians that stand against it seem to be angry almost even afraid of it. I wonder just what they’re afraid of? I’m sure it has something to do with insurance dollars, money from incarcerations and arrests, as well as good old-fashioned control going out the window. Mississippi deserves better than this as do all other states that continue supporting outdated draconian marijuana prohibition!