Mississippi cannabis dispensaries still waiting for product

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - On Feb. 2nd, it will be one year since the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law, but as of now, dispensaries still do not have a product to sell.

When they do, one dispensary in Biloxi plans to be the first in the market.

Coastal Capital Dispensary is more like a boutique store than a head shop. Owner Elizabeth Cavanaugh planned it that way.

“We want people to feel very welcome and understand that this is a healing place,” she said. “This is somewhere you can come for advice.”

Cavanaugh moved into the store on DeBuys Road in Biloxi several months ago. Much of the downtime has been spent remodeling, consulting with potential clients and stocking accessories while she waits for the actual cannabis to arrive.

That should be soon. Officials expect the state-mandated testing process to be given the green light by the end of this month.

But the wait has not been easy, especially for a locally owned operation.

“We been actually moved in here since September,” she said. “So, we have all the overhead costs of running the business, minus payroll, and no income.”

On top of that, Cavanaugh is transitioning into a new career.

“I still work a full-time job while we’re waiting to open,” she said. “My husband works a full-time job. And we have four children.”

From the time she decided to begin a dispensary rather than a restaurant, she wanted to be the first one on the Coast to open.

“The main reason for wanting to be first was just so I can make that connection within the community and kind of use my own personal experience and research that I’ve done to make sure that as many people as possible can have the right information.”

Cavanaugh said she’s prepared.

“We know it’s going to be worth it, and we’ll be able to open as soon as we possibly can,” she said. “The day we get product, we’ll be open the following day.”

Cavanaugh said from the reaction she has already received, she believes she will have plenty of clients stretching from all over South Mississippi and beyond.

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