JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Nearly a year and a half into medical cannabis sales, the state is tweaking the laws tied to the program, but patients and advocates say those changes will benefit them.

A new law will allow patients to pick up their medical marijuana once a month rather than every seven days.

Patients say this change makes more sense.

“[This is a] huge, huge win for us because now you don’t have to go get your medicine once a week,” said patient Mike Watkins. “You’ve got paraplegics, PTSD, [and] cancer patients. I mean, some of the sickest people in our state are having to go up there once a week.”

“When you live in the rural areas, you may have to drive 30-45 minutes,” explained patient Austin Calhoun. “And to do that once a week and you’re sitting there having to plan out your day-to-day or your week-to-week schedule…alright…Well, what day can I run to the dispensary?”

Another new law creates the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Research Program.

“The whole goal is so that we can start seeing what debilitating medical conditions benefit from which formulations,” described Angie Calhoun, founder and CEO of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance.

Angie Calhoun says an app integrated into the state’s system will make the program more effective.

“Mississippi will be the first seed to outcome state program,” she explained. “Because all other states go from seed to sale, they just want to know if it’s making money. Our Department of Health, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, we all want to know how this product is working. How does medical cannabis actually help patients? And that’s what we’re gonna find out.”

It’s a step that’s expected to save patients time and money searching for products that work best.

“I’ve had six months in another state to figure out what worked for me,” noted Austin Calhoun who previously moved out of state to access medical marijuana. “For a patient in Mississippi to be able to find out what formulation is going to work for them and be able to constantly keep finding the medicine that’s going to work for them; that’s gonna be super ideal.”

“That’s phenomenal to know what you’re putting in your body,” noted Watkins.

Both of those new laws will take effect on July 1.

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