Mississippi’s Senate has passed a bill revising the penalties for methamphetamine possession.
The chamber voted 33-7 on Thursday to move Senate Bill 2347 one step closer to the finish line. The legislation, authored by Belmont Republican Sen. Daniel Sparks, looks to apply a treatment-based approach to tackling meth addiction in the Magnolia State.
According to the text, a misdemeanor amount of meth would rise from one-tenth of a gram to one gram or no more than five dosage units. The punishment would result in a misdemeanor charge with a punishment of up to 30 days in prison and a $250 fine. A second offense that occurs within the next five years would result in a $250-$1,000 fine and between five days and six months in jail.
In both cases of simple meth possession, the convicting court must require the defendant to participate in a drug education program approved by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, unless deemed unnecessary per a written order. The goal of expanding the misdemeanor meth level, per Sparks, is to curb a backlog of drug-related cases and allow arrestees to have treatment options available more promptly.
“I don’t know any casual methamphetamine users. If somebody’s using methamphetamine, they are addicted,” Sparks contended on the Senate floor.
A third offense, on the other hand, would yield harsher penalties as it would be classified as a felony with the potential of a five-year imprisonment and a fine of up to $50,000 being levied. The jail stint was elevated from the current three-year period due to Mississippi’s five-year statutory limit for requiring one to appear in drug intervention court.
“Our intervention courts are a five-year jurisdiction and some judges are uncomfortable pleading people into intervention court for that smaller quantity felony because, with only three years, they don’t feel like they have the jurisdiction that they would keep over [defendants],” Sparks added.
Punishments would harshen drastically for those busted with more than a gram of the illicit substance. For example, a person caught with 10 or more grams of meth could face up to 20 years behind bars and a $500,000 fine.
The bill heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. If enacted as is by Gov. Tate Reeves, the new law would go into effect immediately and have an expiration date of July 1, 2027.
