Missouri Could Decide Medical Marijuana Issue In 2016

Jacob Redmond

Well-Known Member
Missouri’s 2016 ballot could be filled with weed.

Competing proposals, bolstered by growing national support, are seeking to put medical marijuana legalization on the statewide ballot. If approved, Missouri would join 23 other states that have done so.

Proponents have an uphill battle. First they need to collect 168,000 valid signatures from at least six of the state’s nine congressional districts. Then they need to win approval from the state’s conservative-leaning voters. Only a handful of states that have legalized medical marijuana are in the Midwest (Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan). And there’s not one in the South, the region with which Missouri has been more politically aligned over the past decade.

In addition, two competing efforts could confuse voters and create an additional hurdle for gathering signatures.

Past efforts to get such a measure on the ballot have languished and failed. This time proponents say things will be different, citing internal polls showing significant statewide support for medical marijuana along with a presidential election year that will drive a larger turnout yielding the best chance of success.

“We think it has a good shot,” said John Payne, the executive director of Show-Me Cannabis, a marijuana advocacy organization.

The group, which planned to conduct a cannabis law reform conference on Saturday in downtown St. Louis, previously pursued a broad legalization initiative. But the group has abandoned that for a more focused medical marijuana plan.

Most states that have completely legalized marijuana began by first allowing medical marijuana, for which public support is much stronger.

The Show-Me group has thrown its support to an effort backed by a new organization called New Approach Missouri. They have drafted a proposed ballot initiative that would allow doctors to certify patients to purchase marijuana if they have cancer or other serious health conditions. Under the plan, the state could license at least 75 cultivation facilities and allow qualifying patients to grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes.

The marijuana would be taxed at 4 percent, in addition to existing state and local taxes. The tax proceeds would go to health care for Missouri veterans.

For its effort, the group has hired Jack Cardetti, a seasoned Democratic operative who once served as Gov. Jay Nixon’s spokesman.

“Ours is a real straightforward ballot initiative,” Cardetti said. “And we have built a coalition.”

Cardetti said significant organization is required to get a measure before voters. The group had about $28,000 on hand as of last month.

Another proposal is taking a different approach. Brad Bradshaw, a Springfield, Mo., doctor who is running in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, is seeking to legalize medical marijuana, heavily tax it and put the money toward medical research.

Bradshaw’s committee, Missouri Research: Cures, Jobs, Health & Lower Taxes, has about $8,300 on hand, with most of the money coming from Bradshaw himself.

“Ours is the only measure that is going to make it to the ballot,” Bradshaw said. “I’ve had a team of professionals working on this making sure it is a well-drafted, conservative approach.”

Missouri Research’s plan doesn’t allow home growing and doesn’t restrict the number of cultivation centers. Notably, it would give priority to licensed pharmacists in applying for dispensary licenses.

Bradshaw attacked New Approach’s proposal, saying it is driven by money.

“They want to make hundreds of millions of dollars by the cultivation of this drug by creating a monopoly,” Bradshaw said.

In Illinois, then-Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law in 2013 that legalized medical marijuana as part of a pilot program that created 21 licenses to grow the drug, and 60 licenses to sell it. The program, dogged by allegations that the license process was politicized, got off to a slow start. About 3,000 patients in Illinois can begin buying medical marijuana starting Monday.

Marijuana is weighed and packaged for sale in this 2012 image. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In Missouri, while state lawmakers so far have refused to pass significant medical marijuana laws, Nixon signed a bill into law in 2014 that allows the use of hemp oil for children with rare forms of epilepsy.

The current ballot proposals would be much broader.

Bradshaw said his plan would help fund research at Missouri’s medical facilities and make it a national leader. The marijuana would have a 75 percent tax at the retail level.

Payne, of Show-Me Cannabis, said Bradshaw’s plan is “narrowly tailored to a few patients.” He also said the plan’s tax is too high.

“That’s close to 100 percent taxation when you include other local and state taxes,” Payne said. “We think that’s too much for patients to pay. Our proposal has a much lower rate.”

Bradshaw estimated the total added tax of his plan amounts to about one dollar per dose.

If both initiative petitions are approved by the Missouri secretary of state’s office, the focus will turn to getting the expensive and daunting task of getting 168,000 signatures.

Bradshaw said he will raise money, as well as put his own money into the campaign.

“It’s going to be a combination of grass-roots organization and signature gathering,” Bradshaw said.

Payne said he isn’t concerned about Bradshaw’s effort because he says his side already has a grass-roots network. And, he said he doesn’t think both measures would appear on the ballot at the same time.

“It’s not a major concern of mine,” Payne said. “Realistically, supporters are going to coalesce around one. It’s really difficult to get one of these on the ballot, much less two.”

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News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Missouri Could Decide Medical Marijuana Issue In 2016
Author: Nicholas J.C. Pistor
Contact: Email Author
Photo Credit: Flickr
Website: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
We are watching this very carefully here in Missouri, and also have noted what happened in Ohio when the ballot proposal only included a few licenses, heavily favoring big money conglomerates as the only ones able to compete in the resulting market. A similar bill was proposed here last year and it is doomed to failure here too if that proposal makes it to the voters. Missourians want to be free to grow their own medicine, and I doubt whether anything passes here that does not include that provision. We need to decriminalize the growing of medicine, not make it just another get rich scheme for the uber wealthy.
 
Jacob Redmond , Why no mention of the The Missouri Cannabis Restoration And Protection Act 2016-013 This is the only petition that has been approved for collecting signatures buy the State of Missouri SOS office & real people are out gathering signatures every day. The Quasi Medical only petitions that New Approach Missouri aka Show Me "NO" Cannabis & Brad Bradshaw's petitions are riddled with corruption & deceptive wording that would make felons out of the very people that they claim they would help. These Quasi Medical only petitions will go the way that Ohio just did just did with there crappy petition. The people of Missouri want to completely remove the prohibition of Cannabis & Hemp with the #MCRPA In future Post about legalizing Cannabis & Hemp in Missouri please don't leave out the only petition that completely removes Cannabis & Hemp from the schedule one status that keeps it from the sick & needy people of the state of Missouri. Mark Pedersen wrote this petition for "ALL" the people of Missouri. It is a petition for the people by the people unlike the other Quasi Medical only petitions that were prepared by a group of greedy profiteers that desire to keep cannabis listed as a schedule one drug & do far more harm that they do good.
 
Growmissouri, Jacob Redmond didn't write the article. He just posts articles from all over the web onto 420mag for your stoner news. This article came from the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Just want you to know where to place the blame. I agree with you 100% that profiteering is not the way to go. Ohio showed us that. Stoners don't vote yes for legalization because it creates a cartel for the state and the objective is doomed to fail.
 
I don't see any connection between New Approach Missouri legislation (medical, 75+ grow facilities, patient 6 plant home grows) and Responsible Ohio (recreational, 10 specific growers, no home grown.)

The fact that Bradshaw makes that comparison demonstrates he is a liar. This fits in with his 'make it just barely legal and tax it to death' approach.
 
The real legalization measure is the the Missouri Cannabis Restoration Act. The only reason MCRA isn't getting press is because the other two measures are both powered by attorneys who want to keep making money on people for cannabis offenses and the MCRA is the real grass roots effort....not astro-turf. The burning question for those of us in Missouri is "Why in the heck is Show Me Cannabis not supporting real legalization?" Sadly, lots of people have donated funds for years only to hear crickets from the biggest group that has held itself up as the cannabis rights champion of Missouri.

In every single political issue, the first thing one needs to judge is, "Qui bono?"---Who benefits? In Missouri, the only one that benefits the people is the MCRA. Here's the link to the text at the Secretary of State site:
https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/Elections/Petitions/2016-013.pdf

If you go to this address, you can find all the initiative petitions, including the 75% tax on the sale of medical cannabis after the person has gone through all the medical establishment procedures that would likely just about kill them:
2016 Initiative Petitions Approved for Circulation in Missouri

We need to get our lives out of the hands of attorneys and bureaucrats. the MCRA would help so many, so much that it would be a boon to the entire country.
 
:goodjob:You are such a good writer. I'm a volunteer with MCRA. Could you work see how we can promote our cause more by contacting these groups and posting news stories about out grass roots initiative?


The real legalization measure is the the Missouri Cannabis Restoration Act. The only reason MCRA isn't getting press is because the other two measures are both powered by attorneys who want to keep making money on people for cannabis offenses and the MCRA is the real grass roots effort....not astro-turf. The burning question for those of us in Missouri is "Why in the heck is Show Me Cannabis not supporting real legalization?" Sadly, lots of people have donated funds for years only to hear crickets from the biggest group that has held itself up as the cannabis rights champion of Missouri.

In every single political issue, the first thing one needs to judge is, "Qui bono?"---Who benefits? In Missouri, the only one that benefits the people is the MCRA. Here's the link to the text at the Secretary of State site:
https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/Elections/Petitions/2016-013.pdf

If you go to this address, you can find all the initiative petitions, including the 75% tax on the sale of medical cannabis after the person has gone through all the medical establishment procedures that would likely just about kill them:
2016 Initiative Petitions Approved for Circulation in Missouri

We need to get our lives out of the hands of attorneys and bureaucrats. the MCRA would help so many, so much that it would be a boon to the entire country.
 
Hey fruitcake 54, I am trying to help with it. It's just been a spate of issues on the home front that keep eating up time here. Send me a pm and we can communicate more about what to do and how to get more traction for a real legalization effort. And thank you for the compliment! I'm a bit of a word junkie. :)
 
Guess I can't private message until I have 50 posts. If you're in the MCRPA group, please find me in the Joplin area petitioners list. -Pam

Hey fruitcake 54, I am trying to help with it. It's just been a spate of issues on the home front that keep eating up time here. Send me a pm and we can communicate more about what to do and how to get more traction for a real legalization effort. And thank you for the compliment! I'm a bit of a word junkie. :)
 
I'm not on facebook and am somewhat hindered because of that. If you know the Kempens out of Nixa, they know how to get in touch with me. We need to really get together of efforts for this. Be well!
 
I'm not on facebook and am somewhat hindered because of that. If you know the Kempens out of Nixa, they know how to get in touch with me. We need to really get together of efforts for this. Be well!

Guess I can't private message until I have 50 posts. If you're in the MCRPA group, please find me in the Joplin area petitioners list. -Pam

You two could type back and forth here about 30 posts and then PM each other :)
 
ShowMeTruth , your spot on as always. Just wish I could write like you do. Unfortunately I don't see that happening in this lifetime. LOL Great work !!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on completely removing the 70 plus years of prohibition from Cannabis & Hemp in Missouri with the only petition that would do that. The Missouri Cannabis Restoration Act.
 
I'm not on facebook and am somewhat hindered because of that. If you know the Kempens out of Nixa, they know how to get in touch with me. We need to really get together of efforts for this. Be well!

Awesome! If you are wanting trained to petition, I'm the main online trainer :) Just love the Kempens' posts :) Thank you for supporting Missourians making Missouri a better place!
 
This needs to be legalized . This is so dumb that it's not yet legal in missouri. I mean hello and the profits go to Healthcare for veterans ? Cmon people wake up! Half the people walking around need to smoke for real, they need to get off their anxiety meds and go for the natural alternative just saying . Once it is legalized in every state the world will be a much better place.
 
This needs to be legalized . This is so dumb that it's not yet legal in missouri. I mean hello and the profits go to Healthcare for veterans ? Cmon people wake up! Half the people walking around need to smoke for real, they need to get off their anxiety meds and go for the natural alternative just saying . Once it is legalized in every state the world will be a much better place.

Anxiety meds such as Adavan, actually seem to pair fairly well with cannabis.

I see cannabis as a valuable companion and eventual replacement to opiods for pain, epilepsy medications, fibromyalgia, etc.

Anxiety meds, especially fast acting, fast flushing anxiety meds are one of the area I believe traditional medicine can do better than marijuana, although cannabis can be helpful alongside them.
 
News from Missouri today! --Emmie

May 17, 2016

Missouri becomes 19th state to decriminalize marijuana possession!


Dear Supporter,


On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon made Missouri history by allowing the state to join the ranks of 18 others that have eliminated the possibility of jail time for the possession of marijuana. The new law made several significant reforms to the state’s criminal laws, including protecting people caught with up to 10 grams from incarceration for choosing a substance that is safer than alcohol.


The governor decided not to sign SB 491, instead allowing it to become effective without his signature. In addition to “decriminalizing” simple possession of marijuana, this new law also reduces possible sentences related to the sale and cultivation of marijuana, including the current ban on probation or parole for those with 3rd felony offenses.


Unfortunately, the law is somewhat limited. It will not take effect until January 1, 2017, and the protections against jail time only apply to people without prior marijuana convictions. Also, a possession charge — even without the possibility of jail time — is still a crime and can mark a person for life, affecting housing, employment, and future employment opportunities.


Nonetheless, this represents several major improvements, and now statewide law is beginning to reflect those of both St. Louis and Columbia, which previously decriminalized possession of up to 35 grams of cannabis.


MPP wishes to thank Missouri attorney and activist Dan Viets and Show-Me Cannabis for their strong contributions to the new law!


Please pass this message to friends, family, and supporters!


Sincerely,


Chris Lindsey
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project
 
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