By Precious Kenney
The Scene staff
Marijuana has been part of college life for decades, but not all Forest Park students are happy that weed and edibles are now legal in Missouri.
General studies student Clara Abad, 20, thinks it’s a bad idea.
“I personally don’t smoke or do anything with marijuana,” she said. “I think it’ll be easier for kids to gain access to it now that there are fewer restrictions.”
Abad was one of a handful of Forest Park students and faculty interviewed recently by The Scene on the pot issue.
Missourians voted Nov. 8, 2022, to approve a state constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana for recreational use. The new law went into effect Feb. 3.
Dental hygiene student Natalie Confer, 22, supported the initiative, mainly because of the way cannabis can help people with chronic pain and other medical problems.
“There are many good uses, but we should put more time and money into teaching the communities that use it,” she said. “We must also be an advocate for awareness in individuals that have barriers to medication.”
Biology professor Kristine Mothershead fell somewhere in the middle of the debate. She wasn’t against legalization, but she wasn’t for amending the constitution.
“It didn’t need to be elevated to that,” she said.
Missouri is among states that allow residents to gather signatures and place constitutional amendments on ballots when they want to sidestep legislatures.
Mothershead believes it’s very important to protect this process.
“My fear (related to the marijuana vote) was that this was going to be the straw that was going to break the camel’s back for our initiative process,” she said.
“And now that is goal No. 1 in this next session. It’ll become more cumbersome, and it’ll be harder to get things on the ballot.”
Mothershead was referring to current efforts by Republican state legislators to place more restrictions on the process.
Some 73% of Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which legalized marijuana for recreational use. Before, it was only allowed for medicinal use.
Today, anyone 21 and older can purchase cannabis products, both weed and a variety of edibles, at one of nearly 200 dispensaries that have popped up throughout the state.
The closest one to the Forest Park campus is Good Day Farm Dispensary on the corner of Forest Park Avenue and Euclid Avenue, across from BJC Healthcare’s Center for Advanced Medicine.
“We believe in plants over pills and using the magic of Mother Nature to help people feel their best,” according to its website. “Our mission is to give everyone that perfect ‘day at the farm’ feeling and access to good medical cannabis.”
The dispensary offers a 15% discount for college students, military personnel and those 65 and older.
The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association reported that dispensaries in the state sold nearly $5 million worth of products on the first day of legalization and $13 million on opening weekend.
The state levies a 6% sales tax on recreational marijuana, and local municipalities can impose additional taxes. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported tax revenue of more than $510,000 on opening weekend.
“Them legalizing marijuana was a good thing to do,” said Forest Park student Glenn Williams, 21, a health services major.
“In my honest opinion, I think that it’s about time that we’ve legalized it. We have been in a battle for so long. It’s not a bad drug or anything to be on. It helps people with cancer. It helps relieve stress. It helps people get sleep. It helps people with anxiety. It just helps all around the board.”
Williams doesn’t believe weed is addictive, and he knows people who just smoke a little to help them relax after a long day at school or work.
Williams also likes the idea that people will no longer go to jail on drug charges related to pot.
“Other states have legalized it already, and we have been battling this for so long,” he said. “You know, California was one of the first, and I think it should be legalized in all 50 states. It’s not a bad drug, and it helps people.”
Adjunct psychology professor Masen Wilkinson has yet another perspective on the topic. He formerly worked at three locations of Swade Cannabis, which dispensed medical marijuana in Missouri after it became legal in 2018.
Each location varied in traffic and clientele, according to Wilkinson. Ellisville was consistently steady, if not busy, serving patients ranging from 14 to 90. The Delmar Avenue location drew a younger crowd, mostly 25 to 30, and business tended to be slower during the day.
Wilkinson described the Cherokee Street location as “super interesting,” with a variety of customers.
“I think that as we have access to more information regarding the benefits of marijuana (in coping) with the stresses of everyday life, we will see a decrease in the amount of alcohol consumed by the younger crowds,” he said. “We have seen what alcohol does to people, and we want to do things differently.
“I feel that this is the spirit of the ’70s coming back, because we are anti-war and pro-weed.”
On the negative side, Wilkinson argues that the new Missouri marijuana law isn’t equitable, and it doesn’t allow enough Black people to share in the profits.
St. Louis Public Radio reported that only three out of 192 dispensary licenses were obtained by Black Missourians. Some blame “exorbitant” application fees.
“Until we see actual equity in cannabis, it will continue to put money in white people’s pockets and Black people in prison, or worse, for doing the same thing.
“I do have faith, however, that we will see this change as more Black St. Louisans attain access to this extremely lucrative capital venture. … So I have faith that the people out there fighting for equity in this space will be successful very soon.”