On Nov. 8, Missouri voters will head to the polls and can vote in favor or against the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Nineteen states have legalized marijuana recreationally. In the 2022 election cycle, Arkansas, Maryland, North Dakota and South Dakota will join Missouri in voting whether to legalize recreational marijuana.
A petition created by Legal Missouri 2022 gained over 214,000 voter signatures across the state, thousands more than the 180,000 signatures needed to make the ballot.
Back in April 2003, an effort to decriminalize cannabis use in Columbia failed with only 42% of the vote. Despite this, cannabis was eventually decriminalized in Columbia in the following year.
Since the legalization of medical marijuana in December 2018,, multiple dispensaries have opened in the Columbia area, including Green Releaf, 3Fifteen Primo Cannabis Columbia and Hemp Hemp Hooray.
The new proposed law includes a 6% tax on all marijuana sales. Medical marijuana in Missouri already has a 4% tax rate, but states that have also legalized recreational marijuana tend to have higher rates, such as Colorado’s 15% and Oregon’s 17%.
If the law is set into motion, people ages 21 and older could buy and grow marijuana for personal use as early as December 2022.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. Voters should check where their nearest polling place is, and bring a valid photo ID with them.
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.comCopy edited by Sam Acevedo and Jacob Richey