Page 13 - Letter to NAR LT

First Choice, P.L.L.C. Chris Wilson, Realtor
407 Short 7th Avenue Laurel, Mississippi 39440
March 15, 2021
Breaking News:
Mississippi House kills medical marijuana bill
After bitter debate, the House killed a Senate bill aimed at creating an alternative to the Mississippi medical marijuana program.
Read more.
Madam President,
In 2020 MAR, our Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee didn’t take a position on whether Medical Marijuana would become legal in Mississippi by Constitutional Amendment. However, if passed by the voters, Realtors wanted the Legislature to oversee implementation of the medical uses and sales of the drug by supporting Initiative 65A, and to directly oppose Initiative 65.
With MAR’s Leg-Reg support this issue was named a PRIORITY by the members; a term clearly defined in our Gov’t affairs operating statement. MAR’s Issues Mob Committee subsequently spent around $64,000 of our State Issues Mobilization fund and around $240,000 of NAR’s Issues Mob fund. We were serious about the detrimental impact of what Initiative 65 would have on our state’s communities and very concerned about who would running the business. Potential adverse zoning rulings in our cities became a big concern, and we asked NAR for help. As you all know, we lost that battle, but owing to law suits filed about the Constitutionality of Initiative 65, the war continued.
With Initiative 65 tied up on Court, the Mississippi Senate in 2021, with a big push by Lt. Governor Hosemann brought 65A Initiative back alive before the Legislature, and he worked into the early morning at the end of February, 2021, to get the Bill
passed. That was MAR’s priority, clearly and duly named by the LEG- REG Committee.
I asked during the recent Leg-Reg Committee meeting why our Priority Bill was not supported by our lobbyist Clarke Wise. He said that that Priority was one from 2020
Tele: (601) 649-1010 e-Mail: cw@chriswilsonrealtor.com Web: www.chriswilsonrealtor.com