Missouri Democrats decline to endorse marijuana ballot measure

September 20, 2022
AggregatedNews
Missouri
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The Missouri Democratic Party’s state committee decided not to take a position on a ballot measure to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, citing concerns with the wording of the plan.

While the party said Democrats support legalization, Amendment 3 on the Nov. 8 ballot “may negatively impact minorities, people of color, and low-income earning Missourians,” the state committee said in a news release Monday.

“Democrats have concerns about the expungement provisions laid out in the amendment, as well as making it difficult for those who do not currently have a license to enter the industry,” the party said.

The statement highlights the split among Democrats in regard to the legalization plan and was all the more noteworthy given that in polling, Democrats have viewed legalization more favorably than Republicans.

High-profile Democrats such as Trudy Busch Valentine, the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, and Alan Green, the Democratic candidate for state auditor, have said they’d vote for Amendment 3.

But other Democrats, including Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, a Kansas City Democrat and chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, have said Missourians should hold out for a better program.

[Read more at St. Louis Post-Dispatch]