Rankin County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025

Mississippi Cannabis
Rankin County Cannabis

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Rankin County?

Licensed cannabis cultivation in Rankin County is legal only if used for medical purposes according to the Medical Cannabis Act of the State of Mississippi, approved on February 2, 2022. Counties and municipalities are allowed to ban medical cannabis businesses but Rankin County’s Zoning Ordinance Article IV Section 419 allows all of them, including licensed medical cannabis cultivation businesses.

A medical cannabis cultivation company must first acquire a medical cannabis cultivator license from the State of Mississippi by registering with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office and then applying to the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program (MMCP) which is under the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The following are the various types of medical cannabis cultivator licenses and the fees required for each:

Tier I micro-cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of up to 1,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $1,500
2. Annual License Fee: $2,000
Tier II micro-cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 1,0001-2,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $2,500
2. Annual License Fee: $3,500
Tier I cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 2,001-5,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $5,000
2. Annual License Fee: $15,000
Tier II cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 5,001-15,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $10,000
2. Annual License Fee: $25,000
Tier III cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 15,001-30,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $20,000
2. Annual License Fee: $50,000
Tier IV cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 30,001-60,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $30,000
2. Annual License Fee: $75,000
Tier V cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of 60,001-100,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $40,000
2. Annual License Fee: $100,000
Tier VI cultivator license, allowed to grow a cannabis canopy of over 100,000 square feet
1. Application Fee: $60,000
2. Annual License Fee: $150,000

After obtaining any type of medical cannabis business license from the MMCP, the licensee who intends to operate in Rankin County, including medical cannabis cultivator licensees, must apply for an operation permit from the county’s zoning administrator. The application must include a preliminary site plan that is compliant with the county’s building code and other regulations. The local permit fee is $5,000 with an annual renewal fee of $2,500.

Licensed medical cannabis cultivation facilities of all types are allowed under conditional use in the following Rankin County zoning districts:

Agricultural General District (A-1)
Agricultural Intensive District (A-2)
Limited Industrial District (I-1)
Heavy Industrial District (I-2)

In addition to the county’s zoning requirements, the Medical Cannabis Act requires a distance of at least 1,000 feet between any licensed medical cannabis cultivation facility and a daycare facility, school, church, or property reserved for any of these purposes. The distance could be shortened to 500 feet only if a waiver is granted by the institution involved and the MMCP.

All types of cannabis cultivation licensees may only grow their cannabis crops indoors and concealed from the public in a fully fenced and gated facility that is equipped with locks that are of commercial grade. There must be a 24-hour security system that can operate even during power outages and includes alarms and recorded video surveillance. Persons under 21 years old must not be allowed to enter. Warnings on the video surveillance and entry restrictions must be prominently posted. All persons must log in and out of the facility. The Metrc seed-to-sale inventory tracking system of the MMCP must be implemented.

There were three licensed medical cannabis cultivators in Rankin County as of June 2023.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Rankin County?

Licensed cannabis product manufacturing in Rankin County is legal only if the cannabis products are for medical treatment according to the State of Mississippi’s Medical Cannabis Act.

A medical cannabis manufacturing company must first acquire a medical cannabis processor license from the State of Mississippi by registering with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office and then applying to the MMCP. If the licensee wants to manufacture medical cannabis products that are edible, an additional MSDH manufactured food permit must be acquired.

The following are the various types of medical cannabis processor licenses and the fees that must be paid for each:

Tier I micro-processor license, allowed to manufacture annually less than 2,000 pounds of dried cannabis
1. Application Fee: $2,000
2. Annual License Fee: $3,500
Tier II micro-processor license, allowed to manufacture annually 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of dried cannabis
1. Application Fee: $2,500
2. Annual License Fee: $5,000
Tier I processor license, allowed to manufacture annually 3,000 pounds and more of dried cannabis
1. Application Fee: $15,000
2. Annual License Fee: $20,000

After acquiring a medical cannabis processor license of any type from the MMCP and a manufactured food permit from the MSDH, if applicable, the licensee must follow the same application as medical cannabis cultivator licensees for the Rankin County operation permit and follow the same regulations.

Licensed medical cannabis processing facilities of all types are allowed under conditional use in the following zoning districts of Rankin County:

Limited Industrial District (I-1)
Heavy Industrial District (I-2)

All Medical Cannabis Act requirements for medical cannabis cultivator licensees regarding limitations on location, operating only indoors, public concealment, security measures, and tracking system also apply to medical cannabis processor licensees.

There is one licensed medical cannabis processor in Rankin County as of June 2023.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Rankin County?

Licensed cannabis retail in Rankin County is legal only for medical cannabis and medical cannabis products being sold solely to medical cannabis cardholders as mandated by the Medical Cannabis Act in the State of Mississippi.

A medical cannabis retail company must first acquire a medical cannabis dispensary license from the State of Mississippi’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division (ABC) under the purview of the Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR) and must abide by all applicable regulations. The application fee is $15,000 and the annual license fee is $25,000.

After acquiring a medical cannabis dispensary license from the ABC, the licensee must follow the same application and regulations for the Rankin County operation permit that medical cannabis cultivator and processor licensees must comply with. Licensed medical cannabis dispensary facilities are allowed under conditional use only in the Major Thoroughfares Commercial District zone of Rankin County. There are eight licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Rankin County as of June 2023.

Medical cannabis dispensary licensees are also subject to the same requirements of the Medical Cannabis Act for medical cannabis cultivator and processor licensees concerning location, operations staying indoors, concealment from the public, security systems, and inventory tracking.

Only the following items are allowed to be sold in licensed medical cannabis dispensaries:

Medical cannabis flowers and trims with not more than 30% content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Medical cannabis oils, tinctures, concentrates, and edibles with not more than 60% content of THC
Medical cannabis devices and accessories like grinders, rolling machines, rolling papers, and others

A licensed medical cannabis dispensary is allowed to sell not more than six Mississippi Medical Cannabis Equivalency Units (MMCEU) a week, and not more than 24 MMCEUs in every 30-day period, to a medical cannabis cardholder residing in the state. The equivalent of one MMCEU is any of the following:

Medical cannabis flowers, 3.5 grams
Medical cannabis concentrate, 1 gram
Medical cannabis products containing 100 milligrams of THC

A licensed medical cannabis dispensary is allowed to sell not more than 12 MMCEUs in each 14-day period to medical cannabis cardholders who are not residents of the State of Mississippi.

The licensed medical cannabis dispensary must check the medical cannabis card of the purchaser on the online registry of the MMCP to check if the MMCEU for the period is not being exceeded with the purchase. All purchases by each cardholder are logged into the registry.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Rankin County?

It is not legal in Rankin County to deliver medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to medical cannabis cardholders as mandated by the Mississippi DOR’s ABC. Medical cannabis and its products must be purchased in person by medical cannabis cardholders in licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Only the transport of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products between licensed medical cannabis businesses is legal.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Rankin County

Residents and non-residents alike in Rankin County may apply for a medical cannabis card from the State of Mississippi.

Non-residents of the state or those who have resided in the state for less than 45 days, however, must hold a valid medical cannabis card from their home state to be able to apply for a 15-day renewable Mississippi medical cannabis card. The application fee is $75.

State residents must be diagnosed and certified by an MMCP-registered health practitioner on the MMCP registry to be suffering from any of the medical conditions that qualify for medical cannabis treatment, as follows:

Dementia agitation
Crohn's disease
Glaucoma
Cancer
Spastic quadriplegia
Sickle-cell anemia
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Spinal cord disease or severe injury
Autism
Hepatitis
HIV
Huntington's disease
Muscular dystrophy
Ulcerative colitis
AIDS
Pain unresponsive to opioid treatment
Diabetic/peripheral neuropathy
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson's disease
A terminal, chronic, or debilitating ailment that causes one of these:
- Severe or persistent nausea
- Acute and intractable muscle spasms
- Seizures
- Chronic pain
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome

The patient must register on the MMCP Portal online and make an application not more than 60 days after getting the health practitioner’s certification. The $25 fee may be waived for completely disabled first responders and veterans or discounted to $15 for beneficiaries of Mississippi Medicaid.

Patients below 18 are required to each have a caregiver since minors are not allowed to purchase medical cannabis. Debilitated adult patients may also appoint caregivers. The same process of portal registration and application to the MMCP must be followed by caregivers. They are also charged $25 with an additional $37 for the mandatory criminal background check.

The medical cannabis cards appear in electronic form on the registry accounts of the patient and caregiver, respectively, from which they may be printed. The maximum validity period is one year but may be shorter if the healthcare practitioner says so.

The following channels may be used for further inquiries:

Registration information: MSMedicalCannabis@msdh.ms.gov

General MMCP information: MCRegistration@msdh.ms.gov

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Rankin County?

Medical cannabis is subject to the following taxes in the State of Mississippi, according to the DOR:

An excise tax of 15% must be paid by a licensed medical cannabis cultivator on its first medical cannabis and medical cannabis product sale to any licensed medical cannabis facility
A sales tax of 7% must be paid by a medical cannabis cardholder on each item of medical cannabis and medical cannabis product purchased from a licensed medical cannabis dispensary

Regular business taxes must also be paid by all types of licensed medical cannabis businesses.

Moreover, the state earns from application and license fees charged to medical cannabis businesses. As of December 30, 2022, the state earned more than $9.86 million from these alone.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Rankin County

Medical cannabis was legalized in Rankin County in 2022.

On the FBI’s Crime Explorer page, data sent by the Rankin County Sheriff's Office shows that in 2020, the latest data available and two years before the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 116 arrests for marijuana offenses, comprised of 102 arrests for possession and 14 arrests for sales.