The city of Ridgeland is falling in line with other municipalities across the state that have dealt with the sale of non-Food and Drug Administration-approved hemp products.
The Ridgeland Board of Aldermen adopted an ordinance in August that makes it illegal to buy, sell or even possess non-FDA-approved hemp consumables within the city limits. It does not apply to hemp products used for non-ingestible purposes such as lotions or textiles.
The board’s response came after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued a legal opinion in June that said consumable hemp products are illegal unless they are sold through a licensed medical cannabis dispensary or approved by the FDA.
The Legislature failed during the 2025 session to pass a bill that Rep. Lee Yancey (District 74-Rankin County) introduced that would have made the sale of any product containing more than 0.3 percent THC in Mississippi illegal.
Hemp and marijuana are the same plant, but the difference is the THC content is higher in marijuana. Hemp contains 0.3 percent or less by dry weight of THC, which makes it non-intoxicating, which marijuana contains more THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant that results in a high.
Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee said the ordinance the board passed was for “public health and safety—to avoid untested, unapproved hemp products being sold in stores or consumed in the city.”
The mayor cited Mississippi Code 41-29-113, which lists controlled substances. “The local rule is meant to prevent unregulated hemp-based items like Delta-8, Delta-10, THC-O, or other hemp extracts from being sold or used in Ridgeland without federal approval,” he said.
Even before the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen took action, the Oxford Board of Aldermen did so. That board adopted an ordinance that also prohibits the purchase, possession, distribution, sale or offering for sale any product derived from the hemp plant, designed for human ingestion and/or consumption, not approved by the FDA.
Currently, the city of Jackson has no ordinance specifically addressing the sale of hemp products. Nor does the city of Madison or the city of Gluckstadt.
Sean Tindell, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said Capitol Police will enforce the state law concerning hemp within the boundaries of the Capitol Complex Improvement District and CCID Court will hear cases about it within the district boundaries.
In Ridgeland, law enforcement officers in Ridgeland will enforce its ordinance about hemp. If someone is found in possession of a prohibited hemp product in Ridgeland, it can be confiscated. Violators may be charged with a misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of up to $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. Exceptions to the Ridgeland ordinance apply to someone acting under city authority such as for compliance checks or someone who has a valid prescription from a licensed physician or dentist.
A “patchwork of laws all across the state” deal with the sales of unregulated hemp-based products, which are typically sold at convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops, said State Rep. Lee Yancey of District 74-Rankin County.
In May, the city of Brandon acted and targeted beverages containing THC. Brandon’s ordinance prohibits the sale, distribution, delivery, bartering or giving away of any THC-containing beverages within its corporate limits, according to Jackson attorney Conner Reeves who wrote about the crackdown on THC beverages in an article that appears on the website of McLaughlin PC. Other unregulated consumable THC products are not addressed in the Brandon ordinance.
The city of Pearl Police Department began on June 24 enforcing a ban on THC beverages by asking retailers to remove the beverages from their shelves, Reeves wrote in his article.
Yancey introduced his bill before the Legislature because he was concerned about “intoxicating hemp,” which is available in various forms such as vaping cartridges or oils, edibles and beverages and products that can be smoked like joints and are often purchased by teenagers. “The street market for cannabis has moved to the gas station,” he said.
With his legislation, Yancey sought to ban any product higher than 0.3 percent THC. The legislation addressed products with high THC levels. He did not intend to dismantle the state’s entire hemp industry, he said.
The legislation that Yancey introduced would have set limits on drinks made from hemp, limiting them to a maximum size of 12 ounces and a THC content of 5 milligrams per can. Five milligrams in a 12-ounce can are equal to 0.0014 percent THC, a minuscule amount.
Nic Lott, director of communications for the city of Jackson, believes additional legislative action is needed to clarify the rules about hemp. Hemp cultivation in Mississippi remains legal but is regulated under federal law.
Reeves wrote:
The 2018 Farm Bill removed legal barriers to industrial hemp production by taking off hemp, defined as the plant cannabis sativa L. with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, from the Controlled Substances Act.
Marijuana, even in states such as Mississippi that have legalized it for medical purposes, remains illegal as a Schedule 1 substance under federal law.
Tindell believes the federal government needs to set standards for hemp and marijuana since state and federal laws do not agree.
Reeves wrote: “Mississippi lawmakers should consider the forward-thinking approach of the state’s neighbors who have chosen to regulate hemp-derived THC beverages, rather than the prohibition-style tactics utilized in the state’s history regarding intoxicating beverages. Well-regulated programs are ultimately better for consumer safety while also generating revenue for the state’s coffers. Simply banning products from local retailers creates a patchwork of rules across Mississippi, while also not addressing the proliferation of online-ordering of hemp-derived THC products. A top-down policy decision from lawmakers is increasingly needed.”
Yancey believes the attorney general’s opinion is unclear and will require a lawsuit to settle the issue.
“It went too far,” he said. “I feel like it was overkill.”
