Last November, Missouri became the 21st state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has already been making moves to adjust the existing medical marijuana program and implementing a new adult consumer program.
At PufCreativ, we are so excited for Missouri to join the cannabis club! Read on to learn more about why the state’s new cannabis policies have us so pumped up.
Missouri’s New Rec Cannabis Policy Details
The passage of Amendment 3 allows anyone older than 21 to buy, possess, deliver, use, manufacture and sell marijuana in the state. For the first year and a half, recreational licenses will be granted to existing medical marijuana dispensaries.
After that, new businesses will be allowed to apply for licenses that will be granted through a lottery system. To prevent monopolies within the state, cultivation facilities or marijuana product facilities, owners cannot own more than 10% of the state’s market.
Missourians who are over 21 can apply for personal cultivation cards, which will allow for up to six flowering plants, six nonflowering plants (plants over 14 inches) and six clone plants (plants under 14 inches). The current limit for possession is three ounces.
Amendment 3 also includes a microbusiness program that will have more restricted licenses allowing the holder to do business with other microbusinesses. The hope is this program will open the market to people with limited wealth, veterans with disabilities, and people in families and neighborhoods that have been harmed by the prosecution of low-level marijuana offenses. Applications will begin to be reviewed in September of 2023.
It is still illegal to use marijuana in public, especially in school zones. It is also illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana.
Our Hopes for Increased Social Equity Within Missouri
As professionals in the cannabis space, it’s our duty to also be advocates for social equity. Black and white people use cannabis at about the same rate, yet as of 2020, black people were almost three times more likely to be arrested for possession of cannabis than white people.
This means a disproportionate amount of minorities were forced into the prison industrial complex and subsequently stripped of their rights. According to the ACLU, nine out of 10 marijuana arrests are for possession, not distribution.
While the damage that has been done to communities of color is seemingly irreparable, Amendment 3 is working towards righting the previous wrongs related to marijuana arrests. In fact, the legislation states that it will “prevent arrest and penalty for personal possession and cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana by adults twenty-one years of age or older.”
Additionally, those who were previously convicted of certain marijuana-related crimes will be able to petition the court to expunge their records. According to Dan Viets, a criminal defense lawyer and Missouri State Coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):
“People may petition courts to be released from probation or released from parole, or actually released from prison or jail if they’re serving a sentence for a marijuana offense of possession up to 3 pounds.”
We’re loving all the progress and can’t wait to see what the future brings for this great state!
PufCreativ: Helping You Achieve Your Cannabis Marketing Goals
PufCreativ is a marketing agency that specializes in cannabis companies. We work with dispensaries and other related businesses, from the East to the West Coast, and everywhere in between (and now, worldwide!) We want to tell the world the story of your business.
We deliver the highest-quality marketing and brand development services for B2B, B2C, and MSO clients. We offer every marketing service under the sun; from packaging and logo design, to web design to social media marketing, to copywriting, public relations, and more! Anything you want to do with your business can be handled by us and our killer creative team.
Are you a dispensary in Missouri looking to build your brand? Well, we are looking to work with you too! We have helped companies of all sizes reach their full potential.
On our website, we have a convenient questionnaire to get things rolling, or if you have more questions, you can shoot us a message. We can’t wait to show the Show-Me state what you have to offer!
