Efforts underway to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri

Could recreational marijuana become legal in Missouri? There are several efforts in the works to make it happen, from legislation to petitions. But not everyone is on board.

Running a dispensary is more than a full-time job.

"It's a lot. It's just 24 hours a day, that’s all we do," said Bianca Sullivan.

Sullivan and her husband, Rob, opened the first medical marijuana dispensary in the Kansas City area. Now, they want to expand to the recreational market.

"We're all for the full legalization of marijuana that nobody goes to jail for and it's not a crime," said Rob Sullivan.

The Sullivans are helping write a petition to put a constitutional amendment on the 2022 ballot. It's the same way medical marijuana was approved.

"Once you have a certain amount of signatures, you know, per a certain amount of districts, you can get it on the ballot," Rob Sullivan said.

There's also legislation in the Missouri statehouse to legalize marijuana, but a constitutional amendment may be easier and faster to get approved.

"The constitution trumps the laws that the Legislature makes because the people spoke," Rob Sullivan said.

The issue is not without controversy. While some advocates say legalization would reduce crime, Kansas City police Chief Rick Smith is not convinced.

In a 2019 blog post, Smith cited a report from the Midwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, saying that in some states, violent crime, property crime, human trafficking and marijuana-related traffic deaths increased after legalization.

"I do not believe that there's been a parade of horribles that some people suggest," Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said.

Lucas said the increased tax revenue for the state and city cannot be ignored. Recreational marijuana could face a 13% tax on top of city sales tax, with 3% going to local governments.

"I'll just say it this way: It's a hell of a lot better for us to have tax revenues from marijuana rather than spending tax revenues to try to continue a somewhat unhelpful, unsuccessful drug war against marijuana," Lucas said.

The decision could soon be in the hands of Missouri voters.