Alex Jager asks Cameron Post Office patrons to sign the petition.

Petitioners visit Cameron in efforts to put medical marijuana tax on November ballot

A group of petitioners are traveling across Missouri collecting signatures to place medical marijuana on the November ballot. However, legalizing medical marijuana is not the main goal of this petition.

Milton Edwards, Regional Campaign Coordinator for E-Management out of Michigan, is responsible for the whole state of Missouri, now focusing on collecting signatures from Region 6. Edwards and his team are currently in Cameron and Chillicothe, having already traveled to other Region 6 cities including Hannibal, Kirksville and St. Joseph.

Edwards explained legalizing medical marijuana will be on the ballot regardless but, he said the main point of this petition is to take two percent of the total proceeds from the legalization of marijuana and make sure people are benefiting from the money earned.

“This locks the money in,” said Edwards. “It doesn’t allow it to be manipulated or taken somewhere else so we will actually see a result from this if [medical marijuana] is legalized. Our initiative is to make sure [the money] goes towards something, we don’t want it just lost in a hole.”

According to the petition documentation, the two percent tax would be used to fund veterans’ services, drug treatment, early childhood education and public safety for cities with a medical marijuana facility. 

“Missouri is in the bottom of the country as far as early education,” explained Edwards. “This is just one more attempt to get some proceeds to benefit and education these children. Teachers and parents are signing [the petition] because they understand it’s not a matter of if they have enough money to send their child to preschool, it’s if there are any preschools available.”

Milton said he has had a good response and overall people are welcoming to the idea. He said he needs a total of 17,000 signatures for our region and he is about halfway to his goal.

“You’d be surprised at the age groups that would support [the petition],” said Milton. “You would think the elderly would be held back, but they aren’t. We went out to the VA home here. We were not able to go through the hospital and collect signatures, but they were very receptive and very nice. Veterans are the perfect signers because they see the benefit.”

Milton and his team will be in Cameron for a few more days. They will be outside the Cameron Post Office, along with making door-to-door visits. To learn more about the petition, visit https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2018ipcirculation#2018271.

 

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