By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
As of December 8, it’s now lawful for people ages 21 and older in the state of Missouri to possess and use marijuana.
Medical marijuana has been legal in Missouri since 2018, but this past November, voters approved a constitutional amendment, legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. Missouri has become the 21st state to legalize recreational marijuana.
The amendment passed by a 53.1 - 46.9 percent margin. Nineteen of Missouri’s 114 counties voted no on the amendment. Buchanan County approved Amendment 3 by a slim, 712 vote margin. Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says this law brings with it new concerns about impairment - particularly behind the wheel.
"We have to make sure that people remain safe and protected," Puett said on KFEQ's The Hotline. "Just like we restrict driving while intoxicated with alcohol or other activities, it's a concern when we have impaired drivers."
On top of that, there’s a lot to be figured out yet with this new law. For one, dispensaries cannot sell marijuana for recreational use until February 2023.
People will eventually be able to grow it themselves, but applications for that won’t be taken until January 7. Schools and businesses can still prohibit the drug, as it is still illegal at the federal level.
"It's extremely confusing right now," Puett continued. "We want to make sure the (prosecutor's) staff is as up to speed as possible."
The main concern for law enforcement agencies across the state is not only the danger of impairment, but the difficulty in assessing that impairment. Puett says it’s not as cut and dry as when an officer stops someone for drinking and driving.
"With THC, it's going to be a situation where there's going to have to be other information provided to the courts and right now, there's a lot of agencies that are restricting K-9 use, because most working dogs that are in service right now have been trained to sniff drugs, including marijuana."
The people have spoken, and recreational marijuana is legal in Missouri. Studies show the state may bring in $1.3 billion in annual sales once the program is up and running.
There will be a 6% sales tax for recreational marijuana that'll be collected and distributed to a number of organizations in the state through the Veterans, Health and Community Reinvestment Fund.
The amendment also allows people with certain marijuana-related, non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration, parole and probation and have their records cleared.
But from a law enforcement standpoint, Puett says there are some difficulties ahead.
"Probably we're going to have a lot of, I hate to say difficulties, but I think it'll be a rough and rocky process to try and figure out. I think some of it will have to be done by case law through the courts."
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.