Missouri Legislature again shelves medical marijuana bill

For the fifth year in a row, medical marijuana legislation was introduced in Missouri, and for the fifth year in a row, it was never given a fair hearing. The legislature has adjourned for the year, and patients will sadly have to wait at least another year. 

The bill (HB 698) was sponsored by Rep. Mike Colona (D-St. Louis), along with an impressive 10 fellow co-sponsors. It would have allowed patients with serious, debilitating conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS to cultivate up to three mature marijuana plants and possess up to an ounce per plant without fear of arrest. It would have also allowed for the establishment of registered dispensaries where patients could legally obtain medical marijuana.

It’s getting tougher and tougher to justify the Missouri Legislature’s unwillingness to provide legal protections to its most vulnerable citizens. Already, at least one prosecutor in Missouri seems unwilling to prosecute seriously ill patients. And in the last year we’ve added two new states (Delaware and Arizona) to the list of states with effective medical marijuana laws — now up to 16. Other states considered expanding their already existing laws, most notably Vermont, which passed a new law allowing for the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries there.

With the growing chorus of voices in Missouri calling for an end to the cruel practice of arresting the seriously ill simply for trying to alleviate their symptoms, the legislature is bound to relent sooner or later. Please help make sure it’s sooner by asking your representative to sponsor or co-sponsor medical marijuana legislation  again next year. You can also head over to our action center for more ways to get involved and raise awareness.

Marijuana laws in Missouri

Missouri has some of the harshest marijuana laws in the country. Possession of any amount of marijuana — even as little as a gram — can be punished by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Possession of over 35 grams — about 1.25 ounces — is a felony subject to up to a seven-year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine. You can read more about the effect of Missouri’s harsh marijuana laws (like the fact that over 91% of marijuana arrests in Missouri are for simple possession) in this 2009 report by Jon Gettman, Ph.D.

Perhaps the worst part about Missouri’s harsh marijuana laws is that the state treats people who use marijuana to treat a serious medical condition as common recreational users. As a result, Kenneth Wells, a 56 year-old Missouri resident with a seizure disorder and no criminal record, was changed with a felony (maximum 15 years in prison) for cultivating medical marijuana. Fortunately,  the case against Mr. Wells was dropped in the face of public opposition, but not before he was arrested, forced to hire a lawyer, and forced to defend himself for over two years against these charges. Please ask your elected officials to sponsor medical marijuana legislation so there are no more Kenneth Wells.

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Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. If you have any questions concerning the status of marijuana policy reform in Missouri, you can contact us by email at state@mpp.org.

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