Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Twin initiatives that would regulate marijuana sales and production and legalize the possession of pot by adults were filed with the state Secretary of State's office Wednesday. The initiatives were filed by a new coalition called Show-Me Cannabis.
You could grow 100 square feet's worth of these if a Missouri initiative becomes law. (photo by the author)
The initiative would:
- Remove marijuana from the state's schedule of controlled substances;
- Legalize marijuana possession by adults over 21 (no amount specified);
- Legalize the cultivation of up to 100 square feet of marijuana for personal use;
- Allow for licensed commercial marijuana cultivation and sales;
- Allow the legislature to enact a tax of up to $100 a pound on marijuana sold for personal use;
- Allow for medical marijuana use with a doctor's recommendation and apply protections to doctors and patients;
- Allow employers to fire workers who are impaired on the job;
- Make no changes to impaired driving laws; and
- Allow for the production of industrial hemp.
"The state presently spends millions of tax dollars incarcerating citizens who use cannabis, depriving those imprisoned of the ability to earn a living, pay taxes and care for their families," said initiative backer Fred Raines, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Washington University. "Meanwhile, the law of supply and demand continues to support an unending criminal enterprise. The social and economic costs of prohibition continue to far outweigh any benefits. It's time we acknowledge that and move forward."
Also backing the campaign are the Missouri affiliate of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML chapters in St. Louis, Kansas City, Joplin; the MU campus in Columbia, the MSSU campus in Joplin, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the medical marijuana group Sensible Missouri.
Missouri is now at least the sixth state where efforts to get marijuana legalization on the November 2012 ballot are underway. The others are California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
Websites
The website for Show-Me Cannabis is located at www.show-mecannabis.com.
Also, the link to Sensible Missouri's website is broken, so here is the URL:
http://www.sensiblemissouri.org/
finally!
In reply to finally! by LindaSpeaks (not verified)
Looks like you need to move to California
Why bring politics into this? Liberals always seem to do so? Also they want everything for free. Your probably some stay at home on welfare so that is why you are a liberal. Enjoy it while you can because this country can not afford it for long. Now get the politics out of here! I am involved in politics and I know many Republican's who support legalization including myself.
In reply to Looks like you need to move to California by Rocker (not verified)
Amen, brother!
I'm a Republican that supports legalization as well. I'm also an MS patient on pain meds, and I've experimented with marijuana in the past, to find that it produced amazing results into the next day. Pain meds may be legal to acquire from a doctor and possess, but are far more addictive... I can hardly miss a dose without withdrawals. Marijuana is not physically addictive and will never result in overdose. Where's the common sense?
To bring political party into this is pointless. I too am outraged at the entitlement attitude that seems to pervade liberal thinking, but I am a fiscal conservative and a social liberal (VERY liberal). Taxing marijuana is the most common sense tax that I agree with, much better than raising tax on big businesses that create jobs... how is that a great idea? SMART Republicans do their homework and realize it is very safe and a good source of tax revenue. It is the back-woods, narrow-minded, uneducated Republicans (AND Democrats) that will oppose legalization, and ugggh there are so many of those...
I for one will sign the petition, and if gets to the ballot I will campaign for it and vote for it... even though I have a DEA clearance to work with controlled substances. They can't revoke it because I'm campaigning and voting for legalization, I'm not breaking laws.
oops
The actual correct address is http://www.show-mecannabis.org tho the dotcom will get ya there
Legal pot AND delicious
Legal pot AND delicious Barbecue?? Missouri would be like heaven!
It's about time.
It's about time.
This needs to be passed. It
This needs to be passed. It is long past the time to end the war on marijuana.
Its time to get this done.
Its time to get this done. Long past time to end the drug war on pot.
Not happening
Of the six states with initiatives, Missouri has the least chance of passing. I live in St. Louis and would love to see it, but there are way too many bible-beaters in this state for these initiatives to stand any chance. Maybe after it has been legalized for 20 years elsewhere and these social conservative idiots realize the sky didn't fall, just maybe...... Course, the midwest is always about 10-20 years behind the west coast and northeast, so this is normal.
You never know
Wouldn't be something if Missouri passed this? I know there are some very religious people out there, though they are not as close minded as some people think. I worked out there for about five years and I can actually see many people who are religious and don't smoke marijuana, voting for it.
I know it seems unlikely, but sometimes the unlikely happens.
Oh it's happening
Don't say it's not happening, these initiatives have more momentum than you think and this is the completely the wrong mind set to have anyway.
- There is plenty of support in our cities (st louis, columbia, joplin, well over 50%). Especially joplin since that failed swat raid went viral.
- This is going on ballot so only the popular vote matters.
- We have a better chance since this is during a presidential election (voter turn out in our strongest demographic will be double)
We just all need to get active or donate, even if it fails this will only enhance our efforts for medical or decriminalization.
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