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Politically Speaking: Hashing out the details of Missouri’s 3 medical marijuana initiatives

Colorful photographs hang in the lobby at HCI Alternatives, a dispensary in Collinsville. (June 14, 2017)
Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
Colorful photographs hang in the lobby at HCI Alternatives, a dispensary in Collinsville, where medical marijuana is legal. Missouri could legalize medical marijuana later this year.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies delve into the three medical marijuana initiatives.

Missourians will vote on Amendment 2, Amendment 3 and Proposition C. All three initiatives would make it legal to get marijuana for medical use. But they differ greatly in terms of how much marijuana will be taxed, how the regulatory framework would work, and where the money would go. Missouri state law says that if there are two conflicting constitutional amendments, the measure with the “largest affirmative vote” will prevail.

But Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft told St. Louis Public Radio in June that if multiple medical-marijuana initiatives end up passing, it would likely be up to the courts to decide what actually gets implemented.  

“It will not be clear enough to stop it from going to court,” Ashcroft said. “There are rules, and people will disagree about how clear they are.”

Mannies and Rosenbaum also talk about:

  • A judge’s decision to throw out parts of Missouri’s photo identification law for voting
  • State Rep. Bruce Franks’ decision to run for the state Senate in 2020
  • Alderman Scott Ogilvie, D-24th Ward, choosing not to run for re-election

Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jo on Twitter: @jmannies

Music: “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

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Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.