Initiative could be on November 2012 ballot
The “Show-Me Cannabis Initiative” calls for a sweeping repeal of criminal prohibitions against marijuana in Missouri.
The measure would regulate cannabis in many of the same ways the state now regulates alcohol. Marijuana would be legal and could be sold by licensed vendors or grown at home for personal use. Medical cannabis would be made available to those with a physician’s recommendation, including those under 21 with parental consent and physician supervision. Retail sales would be taxed by the state (up to $100 per pound).
The petition, approved Nov. 7 for circulation by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, goes further in requiring the release of those incarcerated on non-violent, cannabis-only offenses, and would expunge all records related to such offenses.
The measure would also allow for the cultivation of low-potency (non-smokable) hemp, allowing for the return of a hemp industry that flourished in this country up until World War II.