The Board of Aldermen held an extensive discussion about whether Southaven should "opt in" under state medical-cannabis law to allow dispensaries within a city-designated medical zone. The conversation reviewed state limits, local controls, experiences from other jurisdictions and enforcement implications.

The mayor summarized his concerns about unintended consequences, including "weed nurses" and secondary businesses clustering around dispensaries, and said the city had to weigh whether the change would be "good for Southaven." Several aldermen said they were torn: some emphasized access for patients and the possibility that a locally regulated dispensary would meet a higher standard, while others raised public-safety concerns and potential burdens on the police department.

On enforcement, the Police Chief warned the board that medical-cannabis regulation would increase police workloads, saying the added duties "are just gonna put us in the mud" and that officers would need to handle script reviews and additional testing. Mayor and several aldermen cited examples from other states where legal changes were followed by higher nonalcohol DUI rates and other public-safety concerns.

Alderman Jerome proposed and the board agreed to ask the city attorney to draft an ordinance limited to allowing dispensaries within the citys established medical zone (not cultivation or research/testing). Mayor and staff noted that state controls over product testing and potency remain at the state level and that the local ordinance would address time, place and manner regulations. The board did not vote to opt in or to adopt regulations tonight; the next step is a drafted ordinance and a future vote on that ordinance.