Recreational marijuana IP approved for circulation in Missouri
An initiative petition that was offered for public comment earlier this year has been reworked, reoffered, and is now poised to be circulated.
The IP, Constitutional Amendment to Article XIV, Relating to Marijuana Use and Taxation 2020-126, is the same in principle as the previously offered versions earlier this summer.
Submitted by attorney Deirdre Hirner, the updated version – now approved for circulation contains modified and corrected text from the original.
The IP must gather signatures from at least 8% of the 2016 voting population from 6 of Missouri’s 8 congressional districts in order to be placed on the the 2020 ballot.
Upon submission of signatures to the Secretary of State’s office, county election authorities will verify each signature’s validity and voting status.
The ballot text will read as:
OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE AS CERTIFIED BY
SECRETARY OF STATE
Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
- remove state prohibitions on personal (recreational) use and possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and cultivation of up to three plants for personal use by persons at least 21 years old;
- remove state prohibitions on commercial cultivation, manufacture, and sale of marijuana by state-licensed facilities;
- impose a 15 percent tax on the retail sale of marijuana to primarily fund veterans’ services, state highways, and drug addiction treatment;
- limit local control of marijuana dispensaries; and
- allow persons with certain marijuana-related offenses to apply to have sentences reduced and records expunged?
State government entities are expected to have one-time costs of $21 million, annual costs from $6 million to unknown, and annual revenues from $86 million to $155 million by 2025. Local governments estimate unknown costs and are expected to have annual revenues from $17 million to $27 million by 2025.
The full 29 page petition can be read below.
