Mississippi became the 37th state in the US to legalise use of marijuana for medical purposes on Wednesday after Tete Reeves, the GOP Governor of the state, signed the bill. Those suffering from medical conditions like AIDS, alzheimers and cancer will be permitted the use of cannabis.

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However, the legislation was a double edged sword that aimed at cutting through recreational use of marijuana in Mississippi. A cap was set on the quantity of marijuana patients would be allowed to purchase. No more than three ounces of medical marijuana can be bought by any patient, limiting daily consumption to 3.5 grams per day.

The new law, which was enforced immediately, would contain the use marijuana for recreational use and result in “hundreds of millions of fewer joints on the street”, Governor Reeves said in a statement, according to reports from Reuters.

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Who can obtain medical marijauan and how?

About two dozen qualifying conditions have been listed in the recent bill, including most severe conditions. These include muscular dystrophy, cancer, post traumatic stress disorder, alzheimers, severe injury, autism, parkinson’s disease and huntington’s disease among several others.

The new Mississippi law would also allow individuals to purchase marjuana for any “state in which the cause of the pain can not be removed or otherwise treated”, according to reports from Reuters.

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Patients will have to present authentic certification while purchasing marijuana in Mississippi, which can only be obtained by a licensed healthcare professional. For those between the age of 18 and 25, intervention from a qualified physician is required and parental consent has been mandated for minors.

According to reports from Reuters citing the National Conference of State Legislators, Mississippi has joined 36 other US states to permit the use of medical marijuana, however, it remains to be a classified narcotic under federal law.