Missourians in all likelihood will hold the key to adult-use cannabis legalization in the November 2022 election after activists submitted more than double the required signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office. While Legal Missouri 2022, a registered political action committee (PAC), needs roughly 171,500 valid signatures in order to put its issue before state voters, the group submitted more than doubled that benchmark with the 385,000-plus signed petitions it turned in on May 8. The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office must validate roughly 45% of the submitted signatures—making sure signees wrote their information clearly, are registered to vote, etc.—for the group to receive final approval for the ballot. “As we submit more than 385,000 petition signatures to the state today, the message from voters is clear: It’s past time to end the senseless and costly prohibition of marijuana,” John Payne, Legal Missouri 2022’s campaign manager, said in a public statement. “This widespread and enthusiastic show of support from the people of Missouri exceeds our expectations,” he added, noting how the signature total slightly exceeded the amount collected during the 2018 campaign that led to voter approval of medical cannabis.
Cannabis Business Times, 05/09/2022 14:15:00