IndustryDevelopments | International & State Mississippi Regulations for Mississippi's medical cannabis program likely will be in place by July 1, according to members of the state Board of Health, but it's still unknown when sales will begin. The state is set to begin issuing licenses for dispensaries and cards to patients by Aug. 15. But growing marijuana plants for the program will take months, and growers can't begin cultivating until they get a license. Then, a laboratory will need to test the potency of the plants. There's also a pending legal matter: The Mississippi Supreme Court is expected on April 14 to hear a challenge to the MMJ initiative that voters approved by a wide margin in November. Missouri Florida-based marijuana inventory tracking firm Metrc lost an appeal in Missouri over whether the company was contractually allowed to charge licensed medical cannabis businesses extra money for state-mandated plant tags. The court loss follows an initial ruling by a district court that found the state was correct in its position that Metrc was prohibited from charging marijuana companies extra for its tags. Both courts agreed with state officials that the cost of the tags should have been included in Metrc's initial proposed cost for implementation when it won the $5 million state contract in 2019. DESIGNED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE TRAYS & CONTAINERS * Drying * Storing * Growing * Processing 814-683-4500 * www.mfgtray.com 34 Marijuana Business Magazine | March 2021http://www.mfgtray.com