Mississippi Laws on Marijuana
There is currently no law legalizing marijuana possession–for either medical or personal use–in the state of Mississippi. All those in possession or found selling or trafficking will be prosecuted on criminal charges.
Possession
Possession charges in the state of Mississippi are based on the amount in possession upon the arrest.
Possessing thirty grams or less, on a first offense, is considered a misdemeanor offense. Under this kind of charge there is a summoning but no arrest. Less than thirty grams in possession can be penalized with a fine between one hundred and two hundred fifty dollars but does not include incarceration.
Possessing thirty grams or fewer is also a misdemeanor offense when in a motor vehicle and not a trunk. Penalties for this crime include ninety days of incarceration and a fine of one thousand dollars.
All other possession offenses are considered felony offenses. The possession of marijuana between the amounts of thirty grams and two hundred fifty grams is punishable by a fine of three thousand dollars and up to three years in prison.
Possession between two hundred fifty grams and five hundred grams can earn a fine of fifty thousand dollars and between two and eight years of incarceration.
The possession of marijuana between five hundred grams and five kilograms is penalized by six to twenty-fours years in prison and up to five hundred thousand dollars.
Possessing more than five kilograms can earn a one million-dollar fine and imprisonment between ten and thirty years.
Sale
All marijuana sale offenses are felony offenses in Mississippi and are based on amounts.
Selling less than one ounce is penalized by up to three thousand dollars in fines and up to three years of imprisonment.
Selling between one ounce and one kilogram can earn twenty years in prison and up to thirty thousand dollars in fines.
The sale of marijuana between one kilogram and ten pounds can be penalized with a fine between five thousand and one million dollars and up to thirty years of incarceration.
Selling more than ten pounds can be punished by life in prison without the possibility of parole and other necessary fines.
The sale of marijuana to a minor can have doubled penalties for both fines and imprisonment terms, based on amounts sold. Selling any amount of marijuana on or within fifteen hundred feet of school or church property can also earn doubled fines and doubled imprisonment terms.
Paraphernalia
Trafficking laws are not separate from possession, sale, or paraphernalia laws in Mississippi. All paraphernalia marijuana offenses will earn driver’s license suspension for at least six months and five hundred dollars in fines, on first offenses. Any subsequent offense will have doubled suspensions and fines. Possessing less than one ounce of paraphernalia may often not lead to criminal charges in some cases.
Under the Influence
There are currently no laws separating driving under the influence of marijuana from driving under the influence of alcohol. All under the influence crimes will have the same punishments and fines as illegal drug and intoxication offenses.
