Cannabis is now legal for adults in Missouri, although legal sales of recreational marijuana are still months away. Missouri voters legalized adult-use cannabis with the approval of Amendment 3 in the November midterm elections, joining 20 other states that have also ended the prohibition on recreational weed.

Amendment 3, which received 53% of the vote in last month’s election, amends the Missouri Constitution to legalize recreational marijuana for adults and strengthens the state’s existing medical marijuana program. The successful ballot measure officially went into effect on Thursday, making possession of up to three ounces of cannabis by adults aged 21 and older legal under state law.

In 2014, state lawmakers passed legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis, and in 2018, Missouri voters approved an amendment ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana in the state. 

Missouri Rec Sales Coming Next Year

Under Amendment 3, the state’s existing medical marijuana dispensaries will be the first businesses licensed to make recreational cannabis sales, which are expected to begin early next year. John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, the group behind Amendment 3, said that sales of cannabis are only permitted “within the regulated system,” but he noted that simple possession of marijuana is legal as of Thursday.

“The decriminalization aspects do not hinge on licensed sales existing,” Payne said.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is currently in the process of drafting regulations to govern the adult-use cannabis industry and will begin accepting applications for comprehensive retailers – those selling both medical marijuana and adult-use cannabis – on Saturday. The DHSS is required to begin awarding comprehensive licenses to current medical marijuana dispensaries by February 6, making that the earliest date regulated sales of adult-use cannabis can begin in Missouri. 

In a statement, DHSS Spokesperson Lisa Cox reminded Missourians that legal sales of recreational marijuana will take some time to launch.

“It’s just our commitment that we regulate this program as best we can to keep people safe and healthy. That’s our goal,” Cox said in a statement, adding that consumers should familiarize themselves with Amendment 3 and its potential impact on individuals and communities.

Amendment 3 contains provisions to expunge some past cannabis-related convictions. Under the measure, those with previous convictions for nonviolent marijuana-related charges will have their records reviewed by the courts, with qualified convictions slated to be expunged by June 8, 2023.

Although Amendment 3 legalizes cannabis for all adults 21 and older, the University of Missouri System announced on Wednesday that marijuana would still be prohibited on all four of its campuses.

“Possession and use of marijuana remains subject to many limitations under both constitutional amendment and federal law,” the university system wrote in a statement. “Following a review of the federal Drug-Free Schools and Community Act and Drug-Free Workplace Act, the University of Missouri System will continue to prohibit the possession, use and distribution of marijuana on any university property, university-leased property and as part of university-sponsored or university-supervised activities.”

Amendment Enhances Medical Cannabis Program

Amendment 3 also includes provisions to enhance Missouri’s existing medical marijuana program. Patients will see an increase in the monthly amount of cannabis they can legally purchase at licensed dispensaries from four ounces to six ounces. Additionally, medical marijuana patient identification cards will now be valid for a period of three years rather than being subject to annual renewal requirements.

“Patient applications processed as of this date (Dec. 8) and forward will be valid for three years,” Cox said. “Current ID holders will retain their existing expiration dates, which will not change due to Amendment 3 passing.”

Dan Viets, a co-author of Amendment 3 and coordinator for the Missouri chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), noted the significance of cannabis becoming legal in a statement from the cannabis advocacy group.

“December 8th is a historic date for Missourians,” said Viets. “Most of the 20,000 annual marijuana arrests in our state will end on that date. Instead, adults will be able to legally possess up to three ounces of cannabis, and soon will also have the option to grow up to 18 plants or purchase cannabis products tested for purity and potency from licensed retailers.”

The post Recreational Weed Now Legal in Missouri appeared first on High Times.

The post Recreational Weed Now Legal in Missouri appeared first on Paradise Found.

Missouri’s state constitution will have a new entry this week, with the voter-approved recreational cannabis amendment slated to be added on Thursday. 

The Springfield News-Leader reports that while Amendment 3, which was approved by Missouri voters in last month’s election, will be added to the state constitution this week, “Missourians won’t be impacted by the majority of its legislation until next year.”

“At the earliest, recreational marijuana will be available for purchase in February. And though some non-violent marijuana offenses will be automatically expunged this week, this isn’t the case for all,” according to the News-Leader.

Voters in Missouri approved Amendment 3 last month by a vote of 53% to 47%. 

The leadup to the vote was shrouded in uncertainty for supporters of the amendment. It wasn’t until August that Missouri’s secretary of state confirmed that Amendment 3 had qualified for the ballot. 

There were questions in the summer surrounding the petitions submitted by Legal Missouri 2022, the group behind the amendment. 

State law requires a petition to include signatures from 8% of registered voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.

The state’s secretary of state, Jay Ashcroft, confirmed in August that Legal Missouri had easily cleared the signature threshold. 

“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,” John Payne, campaign manager of Legal Missouri 2022, said in a statement at the time. “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. Missourians are more than ready to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana.”

But even after the amendment qualified, it appeared far from a sure thing that it would pass in November. Polls in the weeks leading up to Election Day painted a messy picture. One survey conducted in September found 48% of voters in Missouri supported Amendment 3, while 35% of voters in the state were opposed, and another 17% were unsure.

But another poll conducted around the same period showed that 43% of respondents were in support of Amendment 3, while 47% were opposed, and 10% were unsure.

In the end, however, the amendment prevailed, and now Missouri is slated to become the latest in a growing number of states to legalize recreational pot use for adults and establish a regulated retail market.

The Springfield News-Leader provided a rundown of what the amendment will accomplish: “Remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over 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 cleared; Establish a lottery selection process to award licenses and certificates; Issue equally distributed licenses to each congressional district; and Impose a 6% tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs.”

The newspaper said that the “earliest recreational marijuana will be available to Missourians who are 21 and up is February 2023.”

“Pre-established medical marijuana facilities will have the opportunity to convert their licenses to comprehensive marijuana facility licenses, meaning they can cultivate or sell both medical and recreational marijuana. The Department of Health and Senior Services must begin awarding these license conversions by Feb. 6, 2023,” the News-Leader reported. “Aside from medical marijuana facilities that are converted to comprehensive marijuana facilities, DHSS must license at least two comprehensive marijuana dispensaries in each of the state’s eight congressional districts, initially. These dispensaries will begin receiving licenses to sell recreational marijuana on Sept. 4, 2023.”

The post Legalization Amendment To Be Added to Missouri Constitution appeared first on High Times.

The post Legalization Amendment To Be Added to Missouri Constitution appeared first on Paradise Found.

In a little more than a month, voters in Missouri will head to the polls and decide whether or not the state should become the latest to legalize recreational cannabis use for adults.

The outcome appears to be decidedly up in the air.

The Missouri Independent this week highlighted a pair of recent polls that “found voters closely divided over the question of whether Missouri should legalize recreational marijuana use.”

A poll from Emerson College showed that a plurality of voters in Missouri—48%—support Amendment 3, which would legalize adult-use cannabis in the Show Me State and establish a regulated recreational weed market there.

The poll found that 35% of voters in the state are opposed to Amendment 3, with another 17% who said they are unsure.

That survey was no doubt more encouraging to supporters of the amendment than another poll from Remington Research Group. According to the Missouri Independent, this survey showed that “only 43% of respondents [are] in support of Amendment 3, compared to 47% against and 10% unsure.”

Another poll painted a very different poll from those two. A poll last month from SurveyUSA found a huge majority of 62% in Missouri support Amendment 3, compared with 22% who said they were opposed and 16% who said they remain undecided.

All three of those polls were conducted in September.

Despite the nebulous outlook, Legal Missouri 2022, the group behind the amendment, remains confident that it will pass next month.

“Support for Amendment 3 continues to grow every day because legalizing marijuana allows law enforcement to focus on fighting violent and serious crime, while bringing tens of millions of revenue to the state annually,” Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager John Payne told the Missouri Independent.

Just ensuring that Amendment 3 made it to the ballot was itself a triumph for Legal Missouri.

The group submitted nearly 400,000 signatures to the Missouri secretary of state in May, but by mid-summer, there were reports that organizers may have still fallen short.

In order for such a measure to qualify for the Missouri ballot, organizers were required to collect signatures from at least 8% of registered voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts.

A local television station reported in July that the signature count in four of the districts appeared to be extremely tight.

“I can’t say without any certainty whether it will make it or not. It is in no way certain that they will fail. This isn’t dead,” Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said at the time.

Ashcroft was right to urge caution. A month later, in August, Ashcroft’s office said that organizers had met the signature requirement and that the amendment qualified for the ballot.

“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 statement at the time. “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. Missourians are more than ready to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana.”

If it were to pass, Amendment 3 would allow “Missourians with nonviolent marijuana-related offenses to automatically expunge their criminal records,” while levying a 6% state tax on marijuana retail sales. It would also allow “local governments to assess local sales taxes of up to 3%.”

The post Will Missouri Vote To Legalize? Polls Paint a Messy Picture appeared first on High Times.

The post Will Missouri Vote To Legalize? Polls Paint a Messy Picture appeared first on Paradise Found.

A proposal to legalize recreational cannabis use for adults officially qualified for the Missouri ballot this week, giving voters there the opportunity to end the prohibition on pot this November.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said Tuesday that his office certified the legalization initiative petition for this year’s ballot, according to the Kansas City Star.

In order for the initiative to qualify for the state ballot, organizers of the petition needed to obtain signatures from 8% of registered voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.

Ashcroft’s office “certified more than 214,000 voter signatures across the state’s eight congressional districts—well above the required roughly 180,000 needed to make the ballot,” the Kansas City Star reported.

The initiative would legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and older and establish a system for a regulated pot market in the state.

As in other states that have legalized recreational cannabis use, Missouri’s new law would also provide a process through which individuals previously convicted of pot-related offenses could have their records expunged.

A large majority of voters in Missouri approved an initiative in 2018 that legalized medical cannabis, and polls have shown that the state is ready to take the next step and legalize recreational pot, as well.

But for Legal Missouri 2022, the coalition behind this year’s legalization drive, getting to this point is something of a victory. As recently as two weeks ago, it appeared the initiative was in danger of not qualifying for the ballot.

Legal Missouri submitted more than 385,000 total signatures in May, but a local television station in Missouri reported late last month that the signature count in four of the state’s congressional districts could come down to the wire.

Ashcroft at the time urged caution, saying the initiative “isn’t dead.”

“I can’t say without any certainty whether it will make it or not. It is in no way certain that they will fail,” Ashcroft said then.

On Tuesday, Legal Missouri could finally breathe a sigh of relief––and set its focus on November.

“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,” John Payne, campaign manager of Legal Missouri 2022, said in a statement. “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. Missourians are more than ready to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana.”

As the fate of the initiative hung in the balance late last month, Payne maintained optimism, saying that any discrepancy with the signatures could be down to human error.

“Our close review of voter signature totals submitted to the state by counties shows that we have more than enough signatures to qualify our citizens’ initiative for the November general election ballot—and that some counties, due to a reliance on temporary workers, mistakenly rejected thousands of valid voter signatures. To be clear, this is not to suggest or imply any wrongdoing on the part of counties,” he said at the time.

A poll conducted by SurveyUSA last month found that 62% of Missouri voters believe that recreational cannabis use for adults should be legal.

The poll showed that large majorities of Democrats (78%) and independents (68%) back legalization, while a plurality of Republicans (47%) said the same.

The post Legalization Initiative Qualifies for Missouri Ballot appeared first on High Times.

The post Legalization Initiative Qualifies for Missouri Ballot appeared first on Paradise Found.

The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services announced on May 18 that it would be transferring $5 million to the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC). According to a press release, this is the third transfer of funds to the organization, which now totals up to $13,978,820.

Director of Medical Marijuana, Lyndall Fraker, issued a statement about the progress being made for medical patients. “Today, patients are being served by more than 180 dispensary facilities in Missouri—a 20% increase from last fall,” Fraker said. “We are happy to see the veterans served by MVC continue to benefit from these contributions.”

Paul Kirchhoff, Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director, also praised the continued support. “MVC will use these new funds for increasing support for Missouri veterans and veteran operations across seven facilities statewide,” Kirchhoff said.

Missouri residents voted in favor of adopting Constitutional Amendment 2 in November 2018 (also referred to as Article XIV). “The amendment includes a provision requiring that fees and taxes generated by the medical marijuana program, less operational expenses, be transferred to the MVC for health and care services for military veterans,” a press release describes. “Article XIV states that medical marijuana sold in licensed dispensaries will be taxed at a rate of 4%.”

Sales began in October 2020, and since then more than $335 million has been collected in sales revenue. The Riverfront Times reports that April was an especially lucrative month for medical cannabis sales, with a total of $36.76 million collected throughout the month, and $2.85 million collected on April 20.

The MVC has received nearly $14 million as a result of the medical cannabis program. The first was a sum of $2.1 million in Fall 2020, followed by $6.8 million in 2021. Another transfer is planned to go through again sometime this fall.

The state has approved 188 licensed dispensaries, 48 cultivation facilities, and 69 product manufacturers to serve the state’s 185,000 patients. “Under Article IX of the state Constitution, Missouri residents with cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma and 20 other qualifying conditions can purchase or cultivate medical cannabis with a physician’s certification,” Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association wrote in a September 2021 release. “The law also provides physicians with the discretion to certify patients who have other chronic and debilitating medical conditions that could benefit from medical marijuana, and legally protects their right to have such conversations.”

While medical cannabis thrives, supporters of an adult-use initiative have also been working on a legalization effort. As of May 9, the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign group delivered twice as many signatures as were necessary to get the topic on the November 2022 ballot.

John Payne, Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager, shared details about the milestone.“As we submit more than 385,000 petition signatures to the state today, the message from voters is clear: it’s past time to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana,” Payne said. “This widespread and enthusiastic show of support from the people of Missouri exceeds our expectations. We look forward to the timely review and certification of our petition by the Secretary of State’s Office as we continue to educate and inform voters in the coming weeks and months.”

If it becomes law, the initiative would make it legal for adults over 21 to possess, consume, purchase and cultivate cannabis. It would also help expunge the records of those who hold cannabis convictions on their records.

As of May 10, Missouri legislators also approved a measure to open up records in relation to medical cannabis. Sponsored by Rep. Peter Merideth, the bill’s intent is to allow legislators access to specific information so they can investigate if the state has used its power properly when approving/denying cannabis licenses, if there’s a need to increase license availability, and more—all of which is information that the constitutional amendment currently bars legislators from currently accessing.

The post Missouri Veterans Commission Receives $5 Million From Medical Cannabis Program appeared first on High Times.

The post Missouri Veterans Commission Receives $5 Million From Medical Cannabis Program appeared first on Paradise Found.