Cannabis dispensaries are opening across Mississippi

At the Cannabis Company in Brookhaven, customers are visiting from all over the state to get their first orders of medical marijuana.

“We made our first sale and we have not stopped since. We’ve already sold out of product once, and we will probably sell out today too,” says Co-Owner LeAnne Penn.

She says she’s been waiting more than 5 years for this moment. Her store was the first to sell to a customer in Mississippi, and Penn says the first week of operations has had a few growing pains.

“I would say to a patient, be prepared with enough cash when you go just in case. Because if you hit a dispensary, especially until more get opened, they get so busy their ATM might run out of cash. Because that’s right where I’m at today,” says Penn. “I have no cash in my ATM, and I’m waiting right now for somebody to drive from Lafayette because I can’t do that myself. It’s a compliance issue.”

She says patients should also be ready to present a valid cannabis license and a state-issued ID before entering the building. Penn also asks customers to be mindful of the size of the card when printing out the cannabis patient license, as shrinking it down from the original size could make it more difficult to scan the bar code when checking in.

Michael Colb of Natchez says he’s purchased cannabis a couple of times already, and he’s happy with how things are going so far. He says the staff is able to answer any questions he has.

“Be willing to sit and wait. It’s worth the wait. I’m a diabetic, I have all kinds of stomach issues. And it really helps me better than the Panthezol and the chemicals that my doctor has prescribed me.”

Only a specific list of medical conditions currently qualify for a medicinal cannabis license in Mississippi, which must be issued by a certified physician.