Here's what campaigning looks like for and against recreational marijuana in Missouri
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys as being part of the Save our State coalition.
In less than one month Missourians will be asked to visit the polls for the general election. The ballot is full of big races and measures, including Amendment 3, which proposes the legalization of recreational, adult-use marijuana and the expungement of some non-violent marijuana-related offenses.
In the final weeks leading up to the election, organizations for and against Amendment 3 are sharing campaign videos and statements online and in person as they hope to sway voters.
Legal Missouri 2022, the organization backing Amendment 3, posted three short videos to its YouTube channel on Tuesday, urging Missourians to vote "yes" next month.
Two of the videos, titled "Our Turn," state that Amendment 3 will aid law enforcement "do their job, fighting serious crime" and help veterans through funding for health care.
Both videos display a uniformed person riding a motorcycle and also getting in and out of a vehicle.
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On Wednesday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol made a Facebook post indicating that they had seen the campaign video but were not involved in the ad.
"The Patrol did not give its permission for its emblem, name or images to be used nor was permission sought," the highway patrol stated in its Facebook post.
According to the Kansas City Star, the highway patrol issued a cease-and-desist order to Legal Missouri 2022 for the video. The News-Leader contacted the highway patrol but did not hear back by press deadline.
"The stock footage in our ad shows exactly why Amendment 3 will allow law enforcement to focus on fighting violent and serious crime," John Payne, Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager, told the News-Leader.
As of Friday afternoon, one of the videos, which was 30 seconds long, was removed from YouTube.
Not all recreational marijuana advocates are in favor of Missouri Amendment 3
The Crossing Paths Political Actions Committee is a pro-drug use and criminal justice reform organization. The PAC was in favor of the Cannabis Freedom Act proposed by Rep. Ron Hicks earlier this year.
The Cannabis Freedom Act proposed the legalization of recreational marijuana and release of all non-violent marijuana offenders. Originally, the act included no license caps and would provide no-interest loans to women and minority-owned businesses. The bill was later amended to include license caps, which Hicks opposed.
In preparation for the general election, Crossing Paths PAC has established a campaign urging voters to vote "no" on Amendment 3.
"We only support marijuana legalization if it creates true opportunity in our state, with no license caps, artificial barriers to entry or monopolies," Crossing Paths PAC's campaign website states. "We won't support new proposals to criminalize marijuana by creating possession limits or putting homegrowers in government databases."
More:Missouri recreational marijuana advocates weigh pros, cons of Amendment 3
With similar concerns as Crossing Paths PAC, a coalition of Missouri organizations under the name Save Our State, was established in September to advise voters to vote "no" on Amendment 3. Save Our State is managed by Executive Director Scott Dieckhaus, a former state representative.
Dieckhaus said the coalition represents a wide range of organizations who are for recreational marijuana but against Amendment 3 and organizations who are against recreational marijuana altogether.
Despite these differences, Dieckhaus said one thing the coalition agrees on is that "the constitution is not the proper place for this to go into effect."
"Amendment 3 is 39 pages, over 50,000 words that they are trying to (add) into the state's constitution," Dieckhaus said. "Right now our state constitution is 222 pages, so they're trying to put nearly 40 pages of marijuana law into our state constitution. That's way too much language on any one subject to put into the constitution."
To clarify, the Missouri Constitution is 230 pages in total, including title pages and the table of contents.
The coalition is also concerned with the potential for Amendment 3 to loosen or undo current provisions established by current medical marijuana infrastructure. For example, Dieckhaus mentioned marijuana facilities' proximity to schools, day cares and churches.
According to the Rules of the Department of Health and Senior Services for medical marijuana in Missouri, medical marijuana facilities can not be established within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares and churches.
Per Amendment 3, "no new marijuana facility shall be initially sited within 1,000 feet of any then-existing elementary or secondary school, child day care center or church."
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While both mention that marijuana facilities should not be within 1,000 feet of these structures, the "initially" mentioned in Amendment 3 can be open for interpretation.
According to Dieckhaus, organizations involved in the coalition include the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association, Missouri Police Chiefs Association, Missouri Sheriffs Association, Missouri Hospital Association, Missouri State Medical Association, Missouri Catholic Conference, Missouri Southern Baptist Association and Missouri Farm Bureau.
Save Our State is working through these organizations to "get the message out" about Amendment 3, Dieckhaus said.
In a Missouri Farm Bureau newsletter sent on Oct. 10, the bureau shared its opposition to Amendment 3.
"(Missouri Farm Bureau) policy has long opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana, due to its negative effects on health, tendency to increase crime and correlation with increased use of other illegal drugs," the newsletter stated.
Dieckhaus said if Amendment 3 is not passed by Missourians in November, he hopes recreational marijuana advocates can better work together in the future.
"If there's a round two, we want to be a part of the conversation, and not just us but the law enforcement and medical community," he said.
If passed, Amendment 3 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.
How to prepare for the general election in Missouri
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
To check your voter registration status or register to vote online, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website at sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register.
During the two weeks prior to the election, voters can use a no-excuse absentee ballot in person at a location designated by a local election authority. When voting absentee in person, voters must have an acceptable form of photo ID, including a driver's license, nondriver license, U.S. Passport or military ID.
More:Election 2022: Springfield's guide to candidates and questions on the Nov. 8 ballot in Missouri
Voters can also request absentee ballots by mail, fax or email. All absentee ballots must be received by the election authority no later than 5 p.m. on the second Wednesday prior to the election. For more information about absentee voting, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website at sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/howtovote#absentee.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri Amendment 3: Campaigning continues for recreational marijuana
