LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) — A medical marijuana cultivation facility on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is now supplying 135 dispensaries across the state.
Sweet Life Canna Company opened in Long Beach in 2025. The tier one facility grows, processes and packages medical marijuana for patients statewide.
Patient-centered production
CEO and owner Courtney Paolillo said the patient remains the focus throughout the facility’s operations.
“So every last detail that we took into account was how can we make this facility able to produce the best, highest quality medication for the patient,” Paolillo said. “We’re looking to get certified with the good manufacturing processes. That’s really important to us. So what we took into consideration when we were designing the grow is what is going to be the best environment to grow the best quality medication for the patient.”
A personal origin story
The company’s roots trace back to 2020, when Paolillo was diagnosed with breast cancer. She said medical marijuana was the relief that changed her recovery.
“When I was fighting breast cancer in 2020 and 2021, I was first introduced to medical cannabis,” Paolillo said. “And raising six kids, my youngest was one at home, was really difficult. And when I was introduced to medical cannabis, it changed my life and gave me my life back. And that is why we call this sweet life because it’s now our mission to give as many people in Mississippi their sweet life as we can.”
Addressing stigma
Paolillo said medical marijuana use still carries a stigma and described herself as proof of its health benefits.
“I truly believe medical cannabis has contributed partially to my ability to stay cancer-free now in those five years,” Paolillo said.
Forty-one states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana.
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