Title:
Columbia voters overwhelmingly pass marijuana initiatives
Message:
On November 2, two initiatives scored major successes for sensible and compassionate marijuana policy in Columbia. With 100% of the votes counted, voters have passed both Proposition 1—a medical marijuana measure—and Proposition 2—a "smart sentencing" measure—by large margins.
Now it's time to build on these enormous successes. Please urge your legislators to follow Columbia's lead and protect seriously ill Missourians from arrest on a statewide level. To take action, please visit http://mpp.org/MO/action.html today.
Proposition 1, which protects medical marijuana patients from criminal penalties, won with 69% of the vote. Now medical marijuana patients in Columbia no longer have to fear city-level arrest for the simple act of taking their medicine. Please see /MO/bills906.html to learn more about what the initiative does.
Proposition 2 won with 61% of the vote. This measure (1) removes the threat of arrest for misdemeanor possession of marijuana (35 grams/1.25 ounces or less) and marijuana paraphernalia within the Columbia city limits and (2) reduces the penalty to a fine of up to $250. By passing the initiative, Columbia voters have shown that they want alternatives to the failed policy of zero-tolerance prohibition and the waste of resources that it produces.
MPP, which funded both measures, would like to thank and congratulate Dan Viets and the Columbia Alliance for Patients and Education (CAPE)—an MPP grant recipient—and all of the local and university volunteers who have campaigned hard for these initiatives.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. With your help, we can stop the heartless prosecution of seriously ill residents in Missouri.
