The legalization of recreational use of cannabis will not be a topic when Missouri lawmakers meet at the Capitol next week.
Despite a push from a group of fellow legislators and legalization advocates to review the issue during the special session scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, GOP Gov. Mike Parson decided not to include it as an alternative to a November 8 recreational marijuana ballot measure.
“The call will not be amended to include marijuana legalization,” Kelli Jones, spokeswoman for Parson told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.
Crossing Paths PAC and the Missouri Marijuana Legalization Movement dubbed "No On Amendment 3—Missouri Deserves Better" are pushing for the passage of a legalization measure introduced last session and against the legalization ballot measure from a separate group of marijuana activists. The campaign's spokesperson Eapen Thampy revealed that former Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder as well as a bipartisan group of lawmakers also support the campaign.
John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, which backs the constitutional amendment known as Amendment 3, praised Parson's move.
"If left up to the Missouri Legislature, it would be another decade before we legalized marijuana," he said. "Thankfully, Missourians will head to the polls in November to legalize marijuana and automatically expunge most nonviolent marijuana records through a citizen-led initiative."
What's In The Initiative?
The initiative from Legal Missouri 2022 would allow Missourians over 21 to possess, consume, purchase and cultivate marijuana. A six percent sales tax would be put on the products, expected to cash in up to an estimated $40 million. The money would go to expungement costs, veterans' services, drug addiction treatment, and the public defender system.
If the initiative passes in November, businesses could start selling cannabis beginning on December 8. Missouri would also set a precedent as the first state where voters initiated the automatic expungement of prior marijuana convictions.
Cannabis Prohibitionist Files Lawsuit, Judge's Decision Expected Next Week
However, there are a few hurdles to clear before that happens. A lawsuit seeking to overturn the initiative from Legal Missouri 2022 was filed in August in Cole County Circuit Court. Brought on behalf of Joy Sweeney, a local anti-legalization activist backed by the Colorado-based Protect Our Kids PAC, the lawsuit argues that the initiative was improperly certified by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft earlier that month. That move formally placed the initiative from Legal Missouri 2022 on the November ballot.
Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker has until September 13 to rule out whether the suit's claims that the measure's language is not in accordance with the state Constitution are valid, reported Missouri Independent.
"That's the problem we're stuck with," Marc Ellinger, attorney for Legal Missouri 2022 said. "It's that time sensitive."
Photo: Courtesy of Sora Shimazaki by Pexels
