Earlier this legislative session, a recreational cannabis bill made its way through committee. Representative Ron Hicks hoped to discuss his bill, HB 2704 on the floor at the beginning of April, but it hasn’t moved forward. The regular legislative session ends on May 13, 2022, so it’s unlikely the bill will receive a vote.
“I don’t see this happening. I really don’t,“ Representative Ron Hicks said. “Usually I’m optimistic on everything—but I’ve been in this body too long to know that the time has left us.”
Missourians could still see a recreational marijuana ballot initiative this upcoming November election. This process of writing a proposal, getting it approved by the Secretary of State, and collecting enough signatures is how Missouri activists legalized medical marijuana in 2018. The organization, Legal Missouri 2022, says they have submitted nearly three times the amount of signatures necessary to qualify their ballot initiative.
“From Hannibal to Joplin, St. Joseph to Springfield, St. Louis, Kansas City and all points between, voters across our great state are ready to make Missouri the 20th to regulate, tax and legalize marijuana for adult use,” Campaign manager John Payne said in a press release.
The Difference
There are some technical differences between HB 2704 and Legal Missouri 2022’s ballot initiative. Lawmakers have previously expressed concerns surrounding the ballot initiative, saying it will limit who is able to legally sell marijuana. This will limit the competitive nature of the market.
HB 2704 would allow adults 21 years and older to possess marijuana without an amount limit. The bill would also allow individuals to grow up to 12 plants for personal use, and contract with dispensaries to grow professionally.
Legal Missouri 2022’s ballot initiative is much more restrictive. The proposal only allows people to purchase up to three ounces at a time. The initiative also limits the number of permits available, as well as who can obtain a license. Under the initiative it would be next to impossible for individuals to sell or grow the plant in large quantities.
Controversy
However, there is some controversy surrounding legal Missouri’s ballot initiative. Other organizations collecting similar ballot initiative signatures, along with Representative Hicks, claim not all signatures for Legal Missouri 2022’s ballot initiative are legitimate. Additionally, they say Legal Missouri 2022 team members actively misled the public in an attempt to get signatures.
Because of these concerns, a lobbyist working with Representative Hicks submitted a complaint to the Secretary of State’s office at the end of last month. No official move to disqualify the signatures gathered has been made.
The complaint filed against the initiative does not worry John Payne. He claimed to other sources it’s based on “thinly-sourced inferences and vague references to unnamed petitioners.”
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