Missouri Activists Launch No On Amendment 3 Campaign & Call on Governor Parson for Special Session
Missouri Activists Launch No On Amendment 3 Campaign & Call on Governor Parson for Special Session to Address Marijuana Legalization
September 1, 2022 - Kansas City - Today Missouri activists launched the “No On Amendment 3 - Missouri Deserves Better” campaign, opposing the Amendment 3 measure on the November 8 ballot and further calling for a full end to the prohibition of marijuana in the Great State of Missouri. The coalition has launched a website, www.NoOnA3.com, to showcase the broad base of support for legalization in Missouri. The No On Amendment 3 Coalition is additionally calling on Missouri Governor Mike Parson to include legislation filed earlier this year by Rep. Ron Hicks (R-St. Charles) in his call for an upcoming special session starting Sept. 6.
Tim Gilio, founder of the Missouri Marijuana Legalization Movement, a grassroots coalition with over 65 thousand members, said, “The Amendment 3 campaign has achieved the unique feat of drawing opposition from Republicans and Democrats all over the state of Missouri. Governor Mike Parson called Amendment 3 a “disaster” and has argued that if marijuana is legal it should benefit all Missourians, not just a small handful of corporations. Missouri’s #1 Black newspaper, the St. Louis American, has called Amendment 3 “deceitful” and “racist”, saying “we do not have to settle for bad constitutional amendments that don’t fix previous harm caused and stand to cause more damage to marginalized communities”. Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chair Rep. Ashley Bland-Manlove (D-Kansas City) has said “Nobody wants to implement ‘stop and cite’”, slamming a provision that mandates law enforcement stop and cite Missourians for using marijuana in public. Republicans like State Representative Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) has said “There was corruption in the system” created by the medical marijuana industry & Representative Ben Baker of (R-Neosho) has said ‘If I had the choice between pot on every corner and government corruption, you know what I’m going to take? Pot on every corner. Because the long-lasting effects of government corruption are far worse.’”
Former Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said, “The Amendment 3 campaign is raising and spending millions of dollars to trick Missourians into passing a proposal that would never survive the deliberative and transparent process of the Missouri General Assembly. Conservatives will be outraged by the way this proposal attempts to subvert the will of the people.”
Americans for Prosperity Missouri director Jeremy Cady said, “We oppose any effort to put criminal or civil penalties for marijuana in the Missouri Constitution. The General Assembly should act to end marijuana prohibition and do so in a manner that adheres to free market principles."
Missouri State Representative Wiley Price (D-St. Louis) said, “Amendment 3 will corner the market for those already in position and continue a long tradition of predatory behavior on minority and poor communities. Worse, this proposal will continue to punish Missourians for possession, and would put these penalties in our Constitution! This is extremely tone deaf in a time of criminal justice reform on this particular issue.”
Missouri State Representative Tony Lovasco (R-St. Charles) said, "The Missouri Constitution is an inappropriate place for any kind of marijuana possession or use regulation or criminal charges proposed by Amendment 3. Rather than settle for an ill-suited and monopolistic program shoehorned into our Constitution, the Missouri General Assembly has an unique opportunity to consider legislation that would legalize cannabis in a truly free market fashion. I urge Governor Parson to expand the upcoming special session so that the legislature can properly implement these important reforms."
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Press contact: Eapen Thampy, 573-673-5351 or Eapen@greatstatestrategies.com