Cannabis activist attempting to legalize marijuana in Missouri
On December 1st, Governor Road Island Lincoln Chafee, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire and Vermont Peter Shumlin advocated for the use if medical marijuana. All three states legalized medical marijuana. There is a petition drive to legalize marijuana in Washington.
In Missouri, Show-Me Cannabis activist are circulating a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for in Missouri. As I explain in my August 27th article, 55% of Missouri’s arrest are related to marijuana. These arrest divert law enforcement resources away from more important issues to deal with like murder and rape.
According to an article published in Webmd, marijuana is nonlethal; however, the article does recognize that marijuana is harmful. In 2005 WebMD’s study, 2.5% of accidents contribute to marijuana use, that’s low then 29% contribute to alcohol use. While marijuana use comes with risk, theres a lot of benefits with the use such as medical, industrial and recreational. Mark Pedersen of Cannabis Patient Network have been traveling around Missouri pointing out the medical benefits of marijuana. Pedersen informed an audience that the federal government took out a patient on medical marijuana while Greater St. Louis NORML was hosting him. As Show-Me Cannabis points out on their website, cannabis can be used for producing other stuff like rope, clothing, and alternative to oil.
The ballot language reads as follows:
- legalize cannabis (commonly known as marijuana) for individuals 21 years or older;
- make medical cannabis available to individuals with a physician’s recommendation including those under 21 with parental or legal guardian consent and physician supervision;
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create licensing processes for operation of cannabis establishments;
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release individuals incarcerated or on probation or parole for non-violent, cannabis-only offenses which would no longer be illegal and expunge all records related to such offenses; and
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allow the legislature to enact a tax on the retail sale of dried cannabis up to $100 per pound?
The tax revenue from the sale of cannabis should benefit Missouri. The City of San Jose received over $3 million in tax revenue just on medical cannabis. Cannabis is California’s no. 1 cash crop with receiving 14 billion a year. Thus, Missourians should expect billions of dollors in tax revenue to offset the cost of any increase in operational cost of regulating cannabis as well as bring in much need revenue. To get involved locally, contact the local field reps: Mark Pedersen at markpedersen.cpn@gmail.com or Damien atjj.damien@yahoo.com.
I’m on twiiter @jjdamien.
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