In close race, recreational marijuana legalization wins in Missouri

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read
3

Missourians voted in favor of Amendment 3, which legalizes recreational, adult-use marijuana and expunges some non-violent, marijuana-related offenses.

Just over 53% of Missouri voters were in support of the constitutional amendment with all 3,266 precincts reported, according to the Missouri Secretary of State. In Greene County, 52.5% of voters were in support of Amendment 3, with 77 of 78 total precincts reported, according to the Greene County Clerks' Office.

Once enacted, Amendment 3 will:

  • Remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over 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;

  • Impose a 6% tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs.

Since its inception, Amendment 3 has been backed by Legal Missouri 2022, led by campaign manager John Payne.

The News-Leader reached out to Payne for a comment about the race but did not hear back before press deadline.

More:Eric Schmitt, Missouri's Republican attorney general, wins U.S. Senate race

The ballot measure was opposed by both pro- and anti-recreational marijuana groups that voiced concerns about its nature as a constitutional amendment. One of these groups was Save Our State, a coalition of Missouri organizations in opposition to the amendment.

In the weeks leading up to the election, several of these organization, including the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, Missouri Sheriffs Association and Missouri Farm Bureau released public statements urging voters to vote "no."

More:Landslide defeat in Galloway referendum — with nearly 20,000 vote margin

The News-Leader reached Save Our State Executive Director Scott Dieckhaus around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, but he did not wish to comment at that time. The News-Leader later tried to connect with Dieckhaus without success.

Other organizations in the Save Our State coalition included the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association, Missouri Hospital Association, Missouri State Medical Association, Missouri Catholic Conference and Missouri Southern Baptist Association.

See the latest: 2022 Missouri statewide election results

The amendment will be added to the Missouri Constitution on Dec. 8. But it will take longer before people are able to legally purchase, grow and distribute, as government entities and businesses work through the licensing process.

Recreational marijuana was on the ballot in four others states this midterm election, including Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas. As of Wednesday, Missouri and Maryland were confirmed to legalize, while North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas residents voted against legalization.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri passes Amendment 3 legalizing recreational marijuana