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The governor of Missouri has ruled out the idea of expanding a special legislative session he convened to add marijuana legalization\u00a0 to the agenda as a separate cannabis reform initiative is set to appear on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
A special session focused on tax relief is scheduled to begin on September 14, and a newly formed campaign that opposes the legalization ballot measure has called on Gov. Mike Parson (R) to permit legislators to advance the issue legislatively ahead of the election, with a particular focus on a previously filed legalization bill from Rep. Ron Hicks (R).<\/p>\n
But on Tuesday\u2014the same day that a legislative committee is hearing testimony on the November ballot proposal\u2014a spokesperson for the governor told<\/a> The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the top official\u2019s call for a special session \u201cwill not be amended to include marijuana legalization.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor also recently said<\/a> that people who vote for the ballot measure will be \u201cdoing more for the corporations behind marijuana and for the business side of it, than you ever are for yourself.\u201d But he\u2019s also made false claims<\/a> about the initiative, which he described as a \u201cdisaster,\u201d such as that it is 450 pages long, when it is actually fewer than 50 pages.<\/p>\n That notwithstanding, the lack of plans for an expanded special session is welcome news for Legal Missouri 2022, the campaign behind the cannabis ballot initiative. Critics who support legalization hoped that giving lawmakers a chance to take matters into their own hands and possibly pass an alternate reform bill would undermine the ballot measure that they view as problematic.<\/p>\n The \u201cNo On Amendment 3\u2014Missouri Deserves Better\u201d campaign<\/a> is being backed by lawmakers, former Missouri lieutenant governor, legalization advocates and the director of the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, among others.<\/p>\n The coalition wanted to see action on Hicks\u2019s bill during the special session. That legislation advanced through the committee process earlier this year but never reached the House floor<\/a>\u00a0before the regular session adjourned.<\/p>\n Advocates and lawmakers are generally divided about the best path forward for legalization in the Show-Me State.<\/p>\n Legal Missouri 2022 has insisted that they crafted the proposed constitutional amendment in a way that wold provide a level playing field for the industry while still promoting equity by way of expungements, for example.<\/p>\n Dan Viets of Legal Missouri 2022 defended the ballot measure before the Missouri legislature\u2019s Joint Committee on Legislative Research on Tuesday, saying<\/a> that he believes \u201cwe have an opportunity with Amendment 3 to do something which is wonderful for the people for everybody in the state of Missouri.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He pushed back on criticism that the constitutional amendment ballot measure is an inappropriate way to enact the reform, emphasizing that the legislature has placed three unrelated constitutional amendments before voters this year and could do so again if they felt the campaign\u2019s proposal needed to be revised upon implementation.<\/p>\n The initiative is endorsed by a number of advocacy organizations\u2014including ACLU of Missouri and all six active chapters of Missouri NORML.<\/p>\n Adolphus Pruitt, president of St. Louis NAACP, also said in a statement shared with Marijuana Moment that\u00a0the organization is \u201cproud to support\u201d the ballot initiative due to its \u201cvital and broad criminal justice reforms and expanded economic opportunities for communities that have been harmed by marijuana prohibition.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, organizers have faced their fair share of pushback over certain provisions.<\/p>\n Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove (D), who chairs the state\u2019s Legislative Black Caucus, said last week that she\u2019s forming her own group called the Impactful Canna Reform Coalition (ICRC)<\/a>\u00a0that will work to educate voters about what they view as shortcomings of the certified ballot proposal.<\/p>\n She argued that the initiative lacks holistic provisions to make the cannabis market equitable, unnecessarily adds penalties for certain offenses and falls short of resolving the racial disparities of cannabis criminalization\u2014though she conceded it is likely to be approved by voters.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let the capitalism monster exploit you for a temporary good,\u201d Manlove told Marijuana Moment in a recent phone interview. \u201cI fully expected this initiative petition to pass\u2014but the point of ICRC is just to let people know what\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Tony Lovasco (R), who sponsored a bill this session to\u00a0provide seriously ill patients with access to psychedelics<\/a>, is also against the Legal Missouri 2022 initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Missouri Constitution is an inappropriate place for any kind of marijuana possession or use regulation or criminal charges proposed by Amendment 3,\u201d he said in a press release distributed on Thursday by No On Amendment 3. \u201cRather than settle for an ill-suited and monopolistic program shoehorned into our Constitution, the Missouri General Assembly has a unique opportunity to consider legislation that would legalize cannabis in a truly free market fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI urge Governor Parson to expand the upcoming special session so that the legislature can properly implement these important reforms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He separately\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Riverfront Times that, if voters approve Amendment 3 in November, he intends to introduced legislation to put another constitutional amendment on the ballot during the next election, or earlier if a special election is called, that would fix what he sees as its shortcomings.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of problems with [the certified measure], and it\u2019s going to be in the Constitution\u2014I\u2019m not good with that,\u201d Lovasco said. \u201cThe Constitution should be reserved for restraining governments. The statutes should really be where any regulation or restraints on people come from.\u201d<\/p>\n Hicks, in a tweet, said he \u201ccouldn\u2019t agree more\u201d on the need to advance a cannabis legalization alternative to the ballot initiative.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t agree more.If Missouri is going to do this then let\u2019s do it for all! https:\/\/t.co\/llTTr2GhxQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ron Hicks (@RNHCKS) September 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Eapen Thampy, a lobbyist with Great State Strategies, echoed many of these concerns at Tuesday\u2019s legislative committee. He said that ballot measure includes \u201cserious and very significant deficiencies and issues,\u201d ranging from penalties that would be imposed for certain activities to licensing limitations.<\/p>\n In the lead-up to the state certification of the Legal Missouri 2022 ballot initiative, there were doubts that activists had collected enough signatures in key congressional districts to qualify, with early reporting suggesting that activists were coming up short in two districts. But following a review, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) determined that the campaign had actually come out ahead<\/a>\u00a0and announced that the measure would go before voters.<\/p>\n Shortly after the secretary of state\u2019s office verified the signatures, an anti-legalization resident filed a lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0with the state Supreme Court that\u2019s being backed by the\u00a0Colorado-based Protect Our Kids PAC<\/a>, arguing that the measure violates the state Constitution and should be removed from the ballot.<\/p>\n The suit asserts that that the initiative \u201cmakes multiple substantive changes to the Missouri Constitution that will impact all citizens of Missouri,\u201d and it does so not just by legalizing cannabis but also imposing licensing requirements and facilitating expungements, for example.<\/p>\n Because the measure is multifaceted and not solely proposing to amend the Constitution to end prohibition, the suit says it violates that single subject rule and must be invalidated. It further raises questions about the validity of the signatures that the state used to certify the measure for ballot placement.<\/p>\n A hearing on that lawsuit is expected to come on Thursday<\/a>, and Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker is anticipated to issue a ruling shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n Former Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) is supporting the\u00a0Missouri Deserves Better<\/a>\u00a0effort, and he said that the \u201cAmendment 3 campaign is raising and spending millions of dollars to trick Missourians into passing a proposal that would never survive the deliberative and transparent process of the Missouri General Assembly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConservatives will be outraged by the way this proposal attempts to subvert the will of the people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Americans for Prosperity Missouri Director Jeremy Cady added that the legislature \u201cshould act to end marijuana prohibition and do so in a manner that adheres to free market principles.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the Legal Missouri 2022 initiative would accomplish:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Adults 21 and older could purchase and possess up to three ounces of cannabis.<\/p>\n They could also grow up to six flowering marijuana plants, six immature plants and six clones if they obtain a registration card.<\/p>\n The initiative would impose a six percent tax on recreational cannabis sales and use revenue to facilitate automatic expungements for people with certain non-violent marijuana offenses on their records.<\/p>\n Remaining revenue would go toward veterans\u2019 healthcare, substance misuse treatment and the state\u2019s public defender system.<\/p>\n The Department of Health and Senior Services would be responsible for regulating the program and issuing licenses for cannabis businesses.<\/p>\n Regulators would be required to issue at least 144 microbusiness licenses through a lottery system, with priority given to low-income applicants and people who have been disproportionately impacted by drug criminalization.<\/p>\n Existing medical marijuana dispensaries would also be first in line to start serving adult consumers with dual licenses.<\/p>\n Regulators could create rules around advertising, but they could not be any more stringent than existing restrictions on alcohol marketing.<\/p>\n Public consumption, driving under the influence of cannabis and underage marijuana use would be explicitly prohibited.<\/p>\n A seed-to-sale tracking system would be established for the marijuana market.<\/p>\n Local jurisdictions would be able to opt out of permitting cannabis microbusinesses or retailers from operating in their area if voters approve the ban at the ballot.<\/p>\n The measure would further codify employment protections for medical cannabis patients.<\/p>\n Medical marijuana cards would be valid for three years at a time, instead of one. And caregivers would be able to serve double the number of patients.<\/p>\n A strong majority of Missouri voters, including a plurality of Republicans,\u00a0support legalizing marijuana for adult use<\/a>, a recent poll found.<\/p>\n \u2014 Missouri health officials are already taking steps to\u00a0prepare for voter approval of the legalization measure<\/a>, and they\u2019re accepting public comment on best practices for implementation.<\/p>\n John Payne, Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager, previously led a\u00a0successful ballot effort to legalize medical cannabis<\/a>\u00a0in the Show-Me State in 2018.<\/p>\n He said at Tuesday\u2019s hearing that, contrary to how critics have depicted the initiative, there was a \u201clong, robust drafting process with numerous people involved in it,\u201d rather than a handful of lawyers or stakeholders. He also disputed arguments about licensing restrictions in the proposal and criminal penalties for unsanctioned activities.<\/p>\n Supporters of the Hicks bill have argued that the lack of specific language in the initiative prohibiting a licensing cap means the market that emerges will not be competitive. Some have also raised concerns about the measure\u2019s provisions to give medical cannabis dispensaries a head start in serving the adult-use market.<\/p>\n Another Republican lawmaker in the state, Rep. Jason Chipman (R),\u00a0filed a joint resolution<\/a>\u00a0this session that would have allowed voters to require additional oversight over how medical cannabis tax revenue is distributed to veterans.<\/p>\n A different campaign, Fair Access Missouri,\u00a0separately explored multiple citizen initiatives<\/a>\u00a0this year with the hopes of getting at least one on the ballot, but did not end up submitting signatures for any of the measures.<\/p>\n Growing Majority Of Minnesotans Support Marijuana Legalization, State Fair Poll Conducted By Lawmakers Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Missouri Governor Won\u2019t Add Marijuana To Special Session Agenda, Despite Push From Activists Against Legalization Ballot Initiative<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The governor of Missouri has ruled out the idea of expanding a special legislative session he convened to add marijuana legalization\u00a0 to the agenda as a separate cannabis reform initiative is set to appear on the November ballot. A special session focused on tax relief is scheduled to begin onContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":57043,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57044,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57042\/revisions\/57044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Missouri Governor Won\u2019t Add Marijuana To Special Session Agenda, Despite Push From Activists Against Legalization Ballot Initiative<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"