The Scene staff
It’s official. The legalization of marijuana for recreational use is going to be on the November ballot, thanks to John Payne and Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.
Payne is the manager of Legal Missouri 2022, an organization working to legalize marijuana in this state and across the nation. He also managed the 2018 campaign in Missouri.
Ashcroft introduced the legal initiative, known as Amendment 3. It would remove prohibitions on the purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture and sale of marijuana for personal use by any adult over 21.
It also would also give sales tax revenue from retail sales of marijuana to help with veterans health care, drug-addiction treatment and the underfunded public-defender system.
And it would allow people with non-violent marijuana charges to ask for their records to be expunged.
A study by American Civil Liberties Union found that Black people are 2.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in Missouri, although that is lower than the national average of 3.6.
Amendment 3 is important, not only for minorities who have been robbed of their freedom for non-violent possession, but also for veterans who suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of serving their country.
A study by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in March 2021 found that marijuana can help with PTSD by reducing its symptoms. This would be a huge help to veterans and others who struggle with anxiety.
But not everyone wants marijuana to be legalized. Take, for example, Jefferson City resident Joy Sweeney, a leader of the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America.
In August, Sweeney filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court, challenging the process by which signatures were gathered for a petition to get Amendment 3 put on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Sweeney’s goal was to stop the vote, but a circuit judge ruled against her earlier this month. She appealed to the Missouri Court of Appeals and lost, then turned to the Missouri Supreme Court, which agreed with the lower court.
This would normally be the end of roadblocks, paving the way for a vote on recreational marijuana by the people. But let’s look at the not-so-democratic way Republicans across the country are handling fights such as this.
“I think the legislature is a much purer way to get things done, and it represents the people much better, rather than having this jungle where you just throw it on the ballot,” said South Dakota state Rep. Tim Goodwin.
Goodwin has argued that petitions are confusing, even though votes on petitions represent the direct voice of the people.
In Michigan, Republicans have blocked initiatives to add abortion rights to the state constitution, saying the words were a little too close and the wording was unclear.
These are just two examples of how state legislators, specifically Republicans, are willing to bypass the wishes of the people, which is literally undemocratic.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has stated that the petition leading to Amendment 3 was a “disaster” and that the amendment “was written by lawyers, and none of us in this state is going to be able to understand 450 pages of what it all means.”
It’s important to note that the amendment is only 39 pages and, as Payne points out, voters will only see one of them.
The main problem with Amendment 3 is that if it passes, medical marijuana companies would be first in line for licensing and the right to sell it to recreational customers.
Parson has correctly pointed out that this would be a boon for corporations over regular people, and Payne agrees. It’s unclear how Missouri legislators will handle this. It’s very hard to create legislation to benefit the small companies.
One idea would be to prohibit medical marijuana companies from selling their products for recreational use and visa versa. This could create two separate industries and keep medical marijuana companies from monopolizing the business.