With Election Day less than one month away, recreational marijuana advocates are continuing to weigh in on the pros and cons of Amendment 3, asking voters to properly inform themselves prior to voting.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced in mid-August that Amendment 3, which proposes the legalization of recreational marijuana use and expungement of some cannabis-related crimes, will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The constitutional amendment would:
- 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 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 ballot measure was backed by Legal Missouri 2022.
John Payne, Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager, said the amendment has three goals: to legalize adult-use of marijuana, expunge people’s records automatically and generate millions of dollars in new revenue for the state.
Some recreational marijuana advocates criticize the amendment, concerned that its addition will harm the future of Missouri’s marijuana industry.
