Marijuana legalization is on the November ballot in Missouri.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced Tuesday an initiative petition that will give voters the option to legalize recreational marijuana obtained enough signatures for the Nov. 8 ballot. Another initiative petition to implement ranked-choice voting in the state did not have sufficient support and will not be on the ballot.
Missouri would be the 20th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use and the first to expunge the records of those charged with non-violent marijuana crimes.
Ashcroft issued a word of caution regarding the ballot measure when announcing it had enough signatures.
"I encourage Missourians to study and educate themselves on any ballot initiative," Ashcroft said in a news release Tuesday. "Initiative 2022-059 that voters will see on the November ballot is particularly lengthy and should be given careful consideration."
The marijuana measure is Amendment 3 and the following language will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot:
"Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
• Remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of 21;
• Require a registration card for personal cultivation with prescribed limits;
• Allow persons with certain marijuana-related non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration or parole and probation and have records expunged;
• Establish a lottery selection process to award licenses and certificates;
• Issue equally distributed licenses to each congressional district; and
• Impose a 6 percent tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs?
State governmental entities estimate initial costs of $3.1 million, initial revenues of at least $7.9 million. Annual costs of $5.5 million, and annual revenues of at least $40.8 million. Local governments are estimated to have annual costs of at least $35,000 and annual revenues of at least $13.8 million."
According to the initiative petition, the revenue generated from state taxes on marijuana sales would cover the costs associated with expunging criminal records and go to support veteran services, drug addiction treatment programs and the state's public defender system.
Legal Missouri 2022 submitted more than 396,700 signatures in support of recreational marijuana in May, but only 214,535 were valid. There was enough support throughout the state to meet signature requirements in six of the eight congressional districts. The 4th Congressional District in west central Missouri and the 8th Congressional District in southeast Missouri were the areas where support was lacking.
To change the state Constitution and appear on the ballot, initiative petitions have to receive signatures from 8 percent of voters in six of Missouri's eight congressional districts, which is 184,720 signatures.
John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, said his group's next step is to engage more voters across the state to ensure they know about the amendment in the lead up to the election.
"Our statewide coalition of activists, business owners, medical marijuana patients and criminal justice reform advocates has worked tirelessly to reach this point, and deserves all the credit," Payne said in a news release Tuesday. "Our campaign volunteers collected 100,000 signatures, on top of paid signature collection. That outpouring of grassroots support among Missourians who want to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis made all the difference."
"We look forward to engaging with voters across the state in the coming weeks and months," he continued. "Missourians are more than ready to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana."
Payne said he fully expects Missouri voters to approve the ballot measure because public and internal polling has support for recreational marijuana at around 60 percent.
The ballot measure is endorsed by ACLU of Missouri, the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, NAACP chapters in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Empower Missouri, the Reale Justice Network and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Payne said many people might think a popular ballot measure can drive voter turnout, but that's not necessarily the case.
"The things that'll drive turnout are the congressional races," he said. "That's what's really going to push turnout, but people are certainly going to vote in this and we know we have a strong amount of support from the voters, regardless of whether it's a congressional election or presidential election. We're feeling like we're in a good position."
Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana use through a statewide ballot measure in 2018 with 65 percent of the vote.
More than 190,000 Missourians have been issued medical cannabis cards by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services since then. They are serviced by 393 licensed and certified businesses in the state.
If passed, the recreational marijuana ballot measure would add another 144 licensed cannabis businesses to the state, which would be divided by congressional district. Of the 18 new facilities per district, at least six would operate as dispensaries. The remainder can be designated wholesale facilities.
Preference for the new licenses would be given to existing marijuana businesses in the state, but new license holders would be selected at random by a lottery system.
In addition to the recreational marijuana measure, voters will see a pair of issues stemming from lawmakers on the November ballot.
The Missouri Legislature passed a resolution asking voters to create the Missouri Department of the National Guard, removing the agency from the existing Department of Public Safety. Another measure asks voters to grant the General Assembly authority to require Kansas City to increase its minimum funding to its police department from 20 percent to 25 percent.
All three ballot measures are changes to the Missouri Constitution.
Review the entire 38-page marijuana initiative petition here: https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/Petitions/2022-059.pdf