A Missouri campaign has filed a series of 2026 ballot initiatives that aim to unify hemp and marijuana regulations by creating parity between the two cannabis industries with a revised licensing system and legislative mandates to amend current laws.
Missourians for a Single Market submitted four versions of the proposal with the secretary of state's office on Tuesday. While the crux of the measures are the same, there are differences with respect to policies around taxes and regulatory authority over THC-infused beverages, for example.
The marijuana legalization law that voters passed in 2022 enshrined regulations in the state Constitution, limiting the legislature's ability to make certain adjustments. The coalition behind the new initiatives is aiming to strike much of that language and instead give a constitutional mandate for lawmakers to develop statutory rules themselves.
Now that the measures are filed with the secretary of state's office, there will be a 50-day review process after which officials can certify the language and clear advocates for signature gathering. Once the campaign decides which version of the Single Market Amendment to pursue, the plan is to gather about 300,000 signatures from registered voters, beginning this fall. About 180,000 must be valid to secure ballot placement, with specific requirements for signature thresholds from the state's congressional districts.
Read more at Marijuana Moment
