Missouri Pot Debate

(Jefferson City) — If Missouri is to become the next state to legalize marijuana, it won’t happen this year, as supporters of the measure say they have decided not to try to put the issue before voters until 2016.

John Payne, executive director of Show-Me Cannabis, says both national and state polls show strong support for legalizing marijuana, but the group felt this was not the right year for a ballot initiative because of historically low voter turnout in midterm elections.

“If everyone in the state were to vote tomorrow, they would vote for full legalization, but unfortunately a lot of people are disengaged from the political process,” he points out.

Several bills before the Missouri Legislature would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, as well as some measures to reduce criminal penalties for marijuana possession.

Payne says his organization has just wrapped up a series of town hall meetings across the state to raise awareness of the issue, and the meetings drew large crowds and differing opinions.

“We’ve had a lot of community involvement from both sides,” he relates. “The chief of police, for instance, in Sikeston was there, so I think it’s been very successful in making people aware of the issue and getting a conversation about it started in the state of Missouri.”

Some law enforcement officials fear that legalizing marijuana would have negative effects on the state, but Payne points to Colorado and Washington, where he says legalizing marijuana has not led to an increase in crime or chaos.

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Missouri Pot Debate