Missouri Legalizes Recreational Cannabis, Becoming First State To Initiate Automatic Expungement

Missouri voters legalized adult-use cannabis by approving an initiative known as Amendment 3. The bill, which won by a comfortable margin of nearly 10%, expands the current medical marijuana program by allowing existing licensees to serve both medical and non-medical purchasers.

With the passage of this legislation, Missouri becomes the first state where voters initiated the automatic expungement of prior marijuana convictions.

"It is an exciting time for the people of Missouri as their state legalizes adult-use cannabis. I am in awe of the hard work that cannabis activists have done in Missouri, and I look forward to seeing how both established medical marijuana dispensaries and new players in Missouri’s regulated cannabis industry grow and begin to thrive over the coming months," said Jeffrey M. Zucker, vice chair of the Marijuana Policy Project Board of Directors and president of Green Lion Partners.

What's Next?

The amendment expands the current medical marijuana business program by allowing existing licensees to serve both medical and non-medical purchasers. The new legislation allows adults to possess up to three ounces, purchase from licensed retailers and home-grow up to six flowering plants, six immature plants, and six clones. It also establishes a program to automatically review and expunge those with criminal records for non-violent marijuana-related marijuana offenses.

Businesses can begin to sell cannabis legally as early as December 8.

The Road To Legalization

The marijuana legalization initiative in Missouri made headlines throughout the campaign, mostly thanks to its opponents who campaigned against it, including the 

Missouri NAACP that broke with chapters in the St. Louis area and urged its members to vote against the legalization amendment.

Image via El Planteo.