Mississippi restrictions on medical marijuana advertising upheld by federal judge

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary who says state regulations that forbid him from advertising in most media amount to censorship. Mississippi officials had argued that dispensary owners do not enjoy constitutional protections granted to some forms of commercial speech because marijuana possession is still illegal under federal law. In his ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills said he agrees with that argument. Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions in 2022. Clarence Cocroft II later opened a dispensary in Olive Branch, Mississippi. But he says he has struggled to reach customers because of the regulations.