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Missouri Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove backs recreational marijuana but not the ballot issue

Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri House floor in April, 2022.
Tim Bommel
/
Missouri House of Representatives
Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, speaks on the House floor in April. She opposes Amendment 3 for multiple reasons.

Missouri voters will have the opportunity in the November election to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

If Amendment 3 passes, it will be the second time in four years that Missouri voters have legalized the use of marijuana, having approved medical use in 2018.

However, Amendment 3 has received pushback on multiple aspects, including from some state lawmakers who are in favor of legalizing marijuana.

One of those is Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, who was a co-sponsor of the Cannabis Freedom Act, a bill legalizing recreational use that didn’t get far in the legislature but has been outspoken in her opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment.

Amendment 3 campaign manager John Payne will be featured on a future episode of the podcast.

On this episode of Politically Speaking, Bland Manlove joined the show to talk about the amendment.

Here is some of what she talked about:

  • Her criticisms of Amendment 3, including its possession limits and expungement language.
  • Whether the proposed amendment is a natural consequence of inaction by the Missouri legislature.
  • Why having a limited number of licenses to sell marijuana perpetuates a lack of equity within the cannabis industry.
  • How she would craft a legal marijuana system in Missouri.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Ashley Bland Manlove on Twitter: @Manlove4M

Sarah Kellogg has been the Missouri Statehouse and politics reporter for St. Louis Public Radio since 2021.
Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.

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