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Committee previews broad hemp-products bill, agrees to report with reverse repealer and reconvene for review
Summary
Senate bill 27 06, a wide-ranging rewrite of hemp product regulation, was presented in summary; the committee agreed to report the bill with a reverse repealer and to reconvene for a full committee consideration before floor action.
Senate bill 27 06, a lengthy measure that would reorganize oversight of consumable hemp products and create new licensing, labeling, reporting and taxation requirements, was presented to the Mississippi Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. Committee members agreed to report the bill with a reverse repealer and to reconvene for an in‑depth review before taking floor action.
Sponsor summary and principal provisions
Senator Blackwell summarized the measure as a broad rewrite that renames the Mississippi Hemp Cultivation Act to the Mississippi Hemp Act, moves administration from the Department of Agriculture to the state health officer, and creates licensing and registration requirements for consumable hemp products and consumable hemp beverages. Key items described by the sponsor included:
- A prohibition that consumable intoxicating hemp beverages be sold only to those 21 and older and carry warning labels; definitions and marketing limits to prevent products being marketed for intoxication. - Requirement that all licensed hemp products have a certificate of analysis and appear on a Department of Health website listing approved products. - Quarterly reporting for licensed consumable hemp businesses and enforcement authority for the Department of Health. - An excise tax of 3% on licensed consumable products and increases in licensing fees (sponsor said distributors requested raising a veil license fee from $30 to $150).
Committee disposition
Committee members and the sponsor acknowledged the bill is large and that staff and drafting resources were stretched. To allow more time for review and public consideration, the sponsor proposed reporting the bill with a reverse repealer and then convening a full committee session after the Senate recess to examine the printed bill and any committee draft. The committee approved that plan by voice vote. The sponsor said he would either offer a strike-all reflecting committee changes or, if the committee did not favor the measure, leave it on the calendar.
Ending
Committee members requested an explanatory briefing on "hemp beverages" and additional time to consider regulatory and implementation details before the bill is scheduled for floor debate.
