2022 Missouri marijuana legalization initiative explained

Constitutional Amendment 3
Marijuana Legalization Initiative
Yes:1,092,432
No:965,020
Total:2,057,452
Mapcaption:Yes No
Notes:Source: Missouri Secretary of State[1]

2022 Missouri Constitutional Amendment 3, also known as the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, was a ballot measure to amend the Constitution of Missouri to legalize cannabis at the state level in Missouri. The measure was on the November 7, 2022, general ballot and was approved by voters with a margin of 53–47 percent.

Contents

The amendment appeared on the ballot as follows:[2]

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is directed to conduct cannabis licensing and regulation.[3]

The provisions of the amendment would officially go into effect on December 8, 2022.[4]

Campaigns

There has been opposition to the scheme's licensing caps giving an advantage to existing medical dispensary license holders due to existing medical license holders being first in line for recreational licenses, raising questions about "fairness and equity".[5] A competing bill without caps was introduced in the state legislature. It failed after it was amended with two provisions labeled "poison pills", including licensing caps.[6] There has also been opposition due to there not being an automatic expungement of criminal records.

Protect Our Kids PAC opposed the initiative.

In March 2022, the Missouri ACLU endorsed the initiative.[7]

History

Amendment 3 was filed with the secretary of state for approval in August 2021, and was qualified for signature gathering on October 6, 2021.[8] [9] The sponsoring organization's campaign manager said on May 4, 2022, that they were "confident" that the number of signatures collected by that date, a few days before the deadline, "provides the necessary cushion to qualify for the ballot".[10] On the May 8 deadline, twice the minimum number of signatures were submitted.[11] On August 9, 2022, The Missouri Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft, certified the initiative to appear as Amendment 3 on the November ballot.[12] [13] [14]

In August 2022, on the last day of the 10-day challenge period following certification, the prohibitionist organization Protect Our Kids funded a lawsuit to remove the initiative from the November ballot.[15] The lawsuit was dismissed on September 9.[16] The Associated Press used the suit as an example of "pushback against the initiative process [that] is part of a several-year trend that gained steam as groups aligned with the Democratic Party have increasingly used petitions to force public votes on issues that Republican-led legislatures have opposed".[17] On September 13, the deadline for challenges, the state supreme court allowed the initiative to appear on the ballot by refusing to review a lower court's decision to reject an appeal.[18]

In September 2022, lawmakers pushed to have cannabis added to a special session called by Governor Mike Parson, over disagreements with policies outlined in Amendment 3, particularly with licensing.[19] A bill entitled the Marijuana Freedom Act was filed to address these concerns.[20] Despite calling Amendment 3 a "disaster", Governor Parson did not expand the scope of the special session to include cannabis, killing the challenge to Amendment 3.[21] [22]

Results

The amendment was approved by voters on November 8, 2022, by a 53–47% margin.[23] Despite initially saying that recreational sales would begin on February 6, 2023, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services unexpectedly announced on February 2 that licenses would be issued to recreational dispensaries the following day.[24]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Petition 2022-059 information . . October 28, 2023.
  2. Web site: 2022 Initiative Petitions Approved for Circulation in Missouri . 2023-10-28 . www.sos.mo.gov.
  3. Web site: Rivas . Rebecca . 2023-10-06 . Companies can now work with state to destroy recalled Missouri marijuana products • Missouri Independent . 2023-10-28 . . en-US.
  4. Web site: Bayless . Kacen . Phillips . Kynala . November 9, 2022 . Missouri votes to legalize recreational weed for adults with passage of Amendment 3 . October 28, 2023 . Kansas City Star.
  5. Web site: 2022-08-15 . Recreational marijuana is on Missouri's ballot in November. Critics say to read the fine print . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220816222608/https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-15/recreational-cannabis-is-on-the-ballot-in-november-but-critics-are-urging-voters-to-read-the-fine-print . 2022-08-16 . 2022-08-17 . KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City . en.
  6. News: 'Poison pill' creates headache for backers of plan to fully legalize marijuana in Missouri . Jack Suntrup . April 6, 2022 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . May 9, 2022 . May 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220506171431/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/marijuana/poison-pill-creates-headache-for-backers-of-plan-to-fully-legalize-marijuana-in-missouri/article_5814e4ed-3cad-5541-8994-39e917e8cb7c.html . live .
  7. News: Legal Missouri 2022 marijuana campaign lands key ACLU endorsement. Gregory J. Holman. Springfield News-Leader. March 16, 2022. May 9, 2022. May 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220518103506/https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/missouri/2022/03/16/aclu-missouri-endorses-campaign-legalize-recreational-marijuana-2022/7059559001/. live.
  8. Web site: Ballotpedia. Missouri Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2022). May 12, 2021. November 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211129083551/https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2022). live.
  9. News: Marijuana legalization, record expungement could go before Missouri voters. September 1, 2021. Cameron Gerber. Missouri Times. Muddy River News. May 12, 2022. March 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230314153746/https://muddyrivernews.com/tag/legal-missouri-2022/. live.
  10. Web site: Marijuana legalization fizzles in Missouri House as initiative petition heads toward ballot. stltoday.com. May 4, 2022. Jack Suntrup. May 9, 2022. May 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220511022204/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/marijuana-legalization-fizzles-in-missouri-house-as-initiative-petition-heads-toward-ballot/article_bdc254e3-8d0a-5605-8e42-74cc663d4f0c.html. live.
  11. News: Associated Press. May 8, 2022. Missouri ballot measures on marijuana, ranked voting advance. Summer Ballentine. May 9, 2022. May 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220508220015/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-voting-marijuana-recreational-e6645a94d542770df7d1a8f75864e1b3. live.
  12. News: The Kansas City Star. August 9, 2022. Missouri will vote on recreational marijuana use. What are the state's current weed laws?. Kynala Phillips. August 10, 2022. August 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220815163705/https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article264353216.html. live.
  13. News: The Hill. August 9, 2022. Missouri puts marijuana legalization on November ballot. Joseph Choi. August 10, 2022. August 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810005722/https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3594617-missouri-puts-marijuana-legalization-on-november-ballot/. live.
  14. News: Legalization of recreational marijuana will be on the Missouri ballot in November. Sarah Kellogg. August 9, 2022. St. Louis Public Radio. Salt Lake Public Radio. 2022-08-10. 2022-08-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220809183850/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2022-08-09/legalization-of-recreational-marijuana-will-be-on-the-missouri-ballot-in-november. live.
  15. News: Missouri Independent. Lawsuit asks judge to block marijuana legalization from appearing on Missouri ballot. Tessa Weinberg. August 22, 2022. August 22, 2022. August 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220822184617/https://missouriindependent.com/2022/08/22/lawsuit-asks-judge-to-block-marijuana-legalization-from-appearing-on-missouri-ballot/. live.
  16. Web site: Learfield. Missourinet. Missouri judge dismisses lawsuit about recreational marijuana ballot measure. September 9, 2022. Alisa Nelson. September 9, 2022. September 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220909202001/https://www.missourinet.com/2022/09/09/missouri-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-about-recreational-marijuana-ballot-measure/. live.
  17. News: GOP escalates fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives. Associated Press. David A. Lieb. September 3, 2022. September 10, 2022. September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220905222453/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-abortion-arkansas-recreational-marijuana-0c003046cc981ebcfb38fa77c1455737. live.
  18. Web site: Challenge to marijuana ballot question jettisoned at Missouri Supreme Court . 2022-09-13 . 2022-09-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220913214935/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/marijuana/challenge-to-marijuana-ballot-question-jettisoned-at-missouri-supreme-court/article_66575a92-f73c-52b9-9c59-2ced39098d56.html . live .
  19. Web site: 2022-09-04 . Missouri lawmakers ask governor to add marijuana legalization to special session Jefferson City News-Tribune . 2023-12-08 . www.newstribune.com . en.
  20. Web site: Dunn . Brandon . 2022-09-16 . Hicks introduces Marijuana Freedom Act during special session . 2023-12-08 . Greenway Magazine . en-US.
  21. Web site: Post-Dispatch . St Louis . 2022-09-06 . Parson shuts door on marijuana special session . 2023-12-08 . Columbia Missourian . en.
  22. Web site: Bayless . Kacen . Shorman . Jonathan . October 16, 2022 . ‘I think that thing’s a disaster’: Gov. Parson slams recreational weed question on MO ballot. December 8, 2023 . The Kansas City Star.
  23. News: St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Missouri voters approve legalizing recreational marijuana . Kurt Erickson . 2022-11-09 . 2022-11-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221109150637/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-voters-approve-legalizing-recreational-marijuana/article_d9455920-e6f4-5b02-adab-1f128d36cf2f.html . live .
  24. News: St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Neman. Daniel. Surprise! Recreational marijuana sales become legal in Missouri on Friday.. February 3, 2023. March 14, 2023. February 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206163548/https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/surprise-recreational-marijuana-sales-become-legal-in-missouri-on-friday/article_8aa59c2f-6250-59ac-8c6a-7dccfb6907f9.html. live.

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