Amendment 2 Passes by 66%
Amendment 2 (A2) supporters claimed victory in St. Louis at a heavily attended watch party atop the mid-town Angad Arts Hotel on November 6th. New Approach Missouri Campaign manager John Payne exclaimed, “the reason we won and Bradshaw didn’t is he is one guy with a lot of money,” and we just proved that, “he can’t buy an amendment and just write himself into the constitution.”
Amendment 2 easily passed in Missouri by grabbing 66 percent of the yes votes. Thirty-four percent of voters registered a no vote.
Amendment 3, Find the Cures, funded and supported solely by Brad Bradshaw, and a statutory initiative, Proposition C, Missouri Patient Care Act, gathered only 49 percent and 34 percent respectively. Both initiatives failed to pass.
This historic win for cannabis activists in Missouri has created a shift in how marijuana cases are handled by some prosecutors. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker (photo) in Kansas City said that her office will stop prosecuting most marijuana possession cases. “That mandate from voters is directing this shift in our office,” said Peters Baker. “This changing attitude toward marijuana is something we have been seeing anecdotally from our juries for some time,” reported by Tony Rizzo and Glenn E. Rice of the Kansas City Star.
Once an ardent prohibitionist who joined nine other prosecutors to file a lawsuit against NAM's medical marijuana initiative in 2016, Peters Baker follows St. Louis Prosecutor Kim Gardner's lead in not prosecuting low-level marijuana possession cases. Newly elected Wesley Bell, St. Louis County's incoming Prosecutor, will also join this growing list of prosecutors refusing to charge low-weight marijuana cases that do not involve other violent crime.
While these enforcement policy developments are a direct result of passage of Amendment 2 and the public's changing attitude towards marijuana, prosecutors in Clay and Platte counties said they had no plans to change their marijuana prosecution policies.
“The state of Missouri tells me what is legal and what’s not legal and my job is to enforce it,” said Clay County Prosecutor Daniel White. “And we’re going to handle what the police departments bring us and the state of Missouri says is a crime.”
The Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd proclaimed “possession of marijuana is illegal in Missouri today, and, in Platte County, we will continue to enforce the laws as enacted by the legislature or the state’s voters.”
Apparently, many public officials in Missouri still don't realize that two-thirds of voters in Missouri voted against marijuana prohibition by allowing medical usage. Amendment 2 has opened the door to the possibility that Missouri could put an end to all marijuana prohibition through future citizen initiative. Greater St. Louis NORML and NORML chapters across the state will continue fighting to end cannabis prohibition in the Show-Me state.
Timelines and Questions
GSTL NORML has fielded a large number of inquiries since Amendment 2 has passed. The top question asked is “when will I be able to purchase medical cannabis?”
Amendment 2 becomes law on December 6th, but retail medical cannabis sales may not happen until the first part of 2020. Everyone hopes for a smooth transition to a legal medical cannabis market and Governor Mike Parson seems to be on board.
“The people of Missouri have voted to adopt Constitutional Amendment 2, approving medical marijuana,” offered Gov. Parson, and “as governor, it is my job to ensure successful implementation of the people’s will. We will begin the very detailed process of implementing a process that makes medical marijuana available to qualified patients."
Officials from the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), met with Dan Viets Missouri State Coordinator for NORML to discuss implementation. In a communication to supporters Viets wrote, “while no specific target date has yet been set, it is clear that Dr. Williams is moving as quickly as he can to get applications available sooner.” Viets indicated that “Dr. Randall Williams, the Director of the Missouri DHSS, and Doug Anderson, an attorney for the DHSS, shared the hope that A2 can be implemented ahead of schedule.”
An information page has been recently published on the DHSS website addressing the timeline for implementation of the provisions in Amendment 2. The timeline begins on Dec. 6, 2018. Important dates to remember are as follows:
- Jan. 5, 2019 – Pre-filed application fees will begin to be accepted.
- June 4, 2019 – Application forms and instructions will be available.
- July 4, 2019 – Applications for identification cards will begin to be accepted.
- Aug. 3, 2019 – Facility applications will begin to be accepted.
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The DHSS has created a Frequently Asked Questions page which is available here:
DHSS FAQs
An email address has also been added to the DHSS website to send comments or request more information: MedicalMarijuanainfo@health.mo.gov. Some of our members have reported that the DHSS will send email notifications to interested parties. Here are the contact phone numbers for DHSS: Office Phone: 573-751-6400, Fax: 573-751-6010.
The DHSS will likely conduct public hearings to allow stakeholders to provide input on some of the rule-making process. The department indicated it will review other legal medical marijuana states' regulations. GSTL NORML will provide updates as the process develops.
December Board of Directors Business Meeting
December 3, 2018 — December Board of Directors Meeting Monday, December 3, 2018, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. We will have an open Board of Directors meeting/business meeting one week before our regularly scheduled monthly chapter meeting. Greater St. Louis NORML chapter members and cannabis legalization activists are encouraged to discuss cannabis legalization activities. Have an idea about how to advance legalization of cannabis in Missouri? Make it happen with Greater St. Louis NORML.
Event: December 2018 Greater St. Louis NORML Board of Directors Meeting
Date & Time: Monday, December 3, 2018 at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Location:
Irish Corner Bar
1900 Cherokee St,
St. Louis, MO 63118
Sponsor: Greater St. Louis NORML
December GSTL NORML Chapter Meeting
December 10, 2018 – Join us for our chapter meeting. Another great year for cannabis legalization efforts is happening in the Greater St. Louis Metro. The DHSS has published a timeline for implementation of A2. What does this mean for medical marijuana patients in Missouri? Find out about this and more during an important meeting about Missouri’s cannabis future.
Event: December Chapter Meeting
Date & Time: Monday, December 10, 2018 at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Location:
CJ Muggs Webster (Webster Groves, MO)
101 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119
Sponsor: Greater St. Louis NORML
Cost: FREE. (Donations accepted.) Everyone is invited.