Constitutional Amendment Would Legalize, Tax, and Regulate Cannabis For Adults Over 21
JEFFERSON CITY, MO - November 5, 2014 - Show-Me Cannabis filed a petition today to amend the Missouri Constitution to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis. Today marks the first day a petition can be filed for the 2016 election. The petition was filed with the Missouri Secretary of State, and now undergoes a review and public comment period.
Show-Me Cannabis is encouraging individuals to file public comments with the Missouri Secretary of State during the open comment window and to contact Show-Me Cannabis directly with any comments on the petition filed. Show-Me Cannabis may modify and re-file the petition on the basis of feedback received.
"Two more states and the District of Columbia rejected cannabis prohibition at the ballot box yesterday, and we fully intend to join them in 2016, so we are starting this process as early as we possibly can," said Show-Me Cannabis Executive Director John Payne. "We still have a long road ahead of us, but we can feel the wind at our backs."
The amendment needs approximately 165,000 signatures to qualify for the November 2014 ballot. If adopted by a majority of voters, it would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults over 21, while also allowing for the distribution of medical cannabis with the recommendation of a physician. The amendment would likely generate tens and possibly hundreds of millions in new tax revenues to be allocated to law enforcement and firefighter pensions; substance abuse programs and underage drug use prevention; elementary, secondary, and higher education programs; veterans’ services; and the enforcement of cannabis regulations.
Show-Me Cannabis is an association of organizations and individuals, who believe that cannabis prohibition is a failed policy, and regulating and taxing cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol would better control the production, distribution, and consumption of cannabis than the current criminal market system does. The group seeks to engage Missourians in a serious, public discussion about the issues associated with marijuana consumption, including medical cannabis, industrial hemp, public safety, and financial analysis in order to address problems associated with the current, failed policy.
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