A ballot initiative process in flux
Initiative 76 is under the same outdated ballot initiative process now hanging by a thread. Unfortunately, the Court’s decision means that Mississippians no longer enjoy the most basic freedom afforded in a democracy – the right to directly control their own destiny, Dr. John Gaudet, a Hattiesburg pediatrician and Initiative 76 sponsor, said Monday about the high court s decision.
Mississippi health care and racial justice advocates continued push for Medicaid expansion coincides with a yearlong pandemic that has boosted the ranks of the unemployed and shrunk family incomes, all of which have had a disproportionate affect on minorities and working poor.
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The Mississippi Supreme Court held on May 14, 2021 that a citizen initiative to legalize medical marijuana violated the Mississippi Constitution. The decision turned on the loss of a congressional district due to the 2000 Census.
Butler v. Watson, Case No. 2020-IA-01199-SCT (May 14, 2021).
Background
The Mississippi Constitution allows amendments in two different ways: (1) by the Mississippi Legislature with a vote from qualified electors; or (2) by citizen initiative. On November 3, 2020, the Secretary of State placed Initiative 65 on the ballot so that Mississippians could weigh in on the issue of medical marijuana. Mississippians voted overwhelmingly (74.1%) to adopt Initiative 65 thus leading the path towards legalization of medical marijuana use in the state.