Missouri legislators will not address legalizing adult-use marijuana during an upcoming special session, a potential win for advocates.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday rejected a request by a group of Missouri lawmakers to add recreational marijuana legalization to a special session next week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The legislators sought to include adult-use legalization in the Sept. 14 special session in an attempt “to blunt momentum for Amendment 3,” according to the newspaper.
Amendment 3 is an adult-use legalization question that is scheduled to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Some state lawmakers and the governor have been vocal critics of Amendment 3, arguing that it would create monopolies for certain companies by allowing existing medical marijuana businesses to be the first to apply for full adult-use licenses, a significant competitive advantage.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court is aiming to block the ballot initiative, contending the petition would change sections of the Missouri Constitution in violation of single-subject rules.
The lawsuit also claims organizers did not gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
The suit is backed by the Community of Anti-Drug Coalitions of America as well as Protect Our Kids PAC, a Colorado-based super political action committee launched earlier this year that opposes legalization efforts.
That case is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
