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Adult-Use Initiative
The Good Stuff Explained
Missouri Marijuana “ Adult-Use ” Initiative
Details for Consumers and Home-Growers
Part 2 of 3 by Denise B . McCracken , Attorney , contributing writer
After a little drama to keep things interesting , Initiative Petition 2022-059 , also known as Legal Missouri 2022 ( the Initiative ), crossed the signature finish line and was certified on August 9 by the Missouri Secretary of State for the November 8 , 2022 , ballot . Missourians now have the chance to cast their vote on legalizing “ Adult-Use ” cannabis , a . k . a . recreational marijuana , in addition to proposed changes to the medical marijuana Constitutional Amendment passed in 2018 . This second installment of The EVOLUTION Magazine ’ s three-part series is all about access to cannabis with THC levels greater than 0.3 percent . ( See part one in the August 2022 issue .)
Going to the Dispensary
The Initiative ’ s main event is legalizing marijuana consumption for adults at least 21 years old . The Department of Health and Senior Services ( Department ) is authorized to set a limit on the amount that may be purchased in a “ single transaction ,” so long as the consumer can at least buy up to 3 ounces of dried , unprocessed marijuana , or its equivalent . ( You can download an easy-to-read equivalency card from the DHSS website link at the end of this article or see page 68 for a Clip & Save card .) Consumers can order marijuana from a licensed dispensary in person , by phone , or via the internet regardless of whether the marijuana is consumed by the buyer or a third party . Adult consumers who are not patients simply need to show the budtender a government ID for proof of age . Theoretically , an adult could buy 3 ounces of cannabis at two dispensaries every day for a month and end up buying 180 ounces or 11 ¼ pounds of flower in a 30-day period .
Dear Readers , don ’ t stop here . Unlimited purchasing is tempered by possession limits . Assuming the Department sticks with a 3-ounce maximum purchase , adults are limited to possessing 3 ounces as well . Possession of 3.1 to 6 ounces ( not more than twice the amount
“ Tens of thousands of Missourians previously charged with nonviolent marijuana offenses would have their records automatically expunged ― a critical criminal justice reform that if passed , would make Missouri the first state where voters took such a step .”
∼ MoCann Trade News Release 8 / 9 / 22
allowed ) subjects adults to possible civil fines for first and second offenses and a misdemeanor for third or more offenses .
As for qualified patients , medical marijuana purchase limits would increase from 4 to 6 ounces in a 30-days . The patient identification card fee is still $ 25 but is valid for three years instead of just 12 months . Qualified patients could possess up to a 60-day supply , or 12 ounces , without penalty . The state medical marijuana tax remains at 4 % of the retail price , while the state adult-use marijuana tax is just slightly more at 6 % of the retail price .
Home Growing
Home marijuana grows will be legalized for adults who obtain a registration card from the Department . The Initiative makes it easier for medical marijuana home-growers to renew a cultivation registration card ( both qualified patients and caregivers ) by reducing the $ 100 annual renewal to $ 50 every three years . Adult-use home growers , however , will need to annually renew their cultivation registration cards for a $ 100 annual fee . The Department must make adult-use home cultivation registration application forms available by January 7 , 2023 , and begin accepting applications by February 6 , 2023 . The Department has not given a deadline for deciding and issuing cultivation registration cards .
The Initiative takes into consideration the cannabis plant ’ s growing cycle by explicitly permitting both medical and adultuse growers to cultivate up to six flowering marijuana plants , six nonflowering marijuana plants ( over fourteen inches tall ), and six clones ( plants under fourteen inches tall ). While patients can only grow for personal use , adult growers are limited only by the prohibition against commercial use . That means a recreational marijuana grower can give their harvest to family , friends , and the nasty next-