Mississippis

Mississippi’s New Mental Health Law Struggles with Inconsistent Data, Challenging Implementation

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In an effort to curb the problematic trend of incarcerating individuals solely for their mental health issues, Mississippi enacted a new civil commitment law last year, officials report. The legislation comes in response to troubling findings that revealed many individuals with serious mental illnesses were being detained without criminal charges as they awaited involuntary psychological evaluations and treatment, a practice resulting in at least 17 deaths since 2006. Despite the intentions behind the law, which restricts the jailing of mentally ill individuals to those who are “actively violent” and for no more than 48 hours, … Read more

Lawsuit Dismissed: Federal Judge Upholds Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana Advertising Restrictions

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JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Mississippi who claimed that state regulations prohibiting advertising in most media amounted to censorship. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills ruled that since marijuana possession is still illegal under federal law, it is not considered a “lawful activity” and therefore does not receive constitutional protections for commercial speech. The owner of Tru Source Medical Cannabis, Clarence Cocroft II, opened his dispensary in Olive Branch following Mississippi’s legalization of medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions … Read more