Why Medical Marijuana Activists Argue Missourians Should Still Acquire a Card!
On Friday, stores across the state of Missouri, including those serving the greater Kansas City area, legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use. To facilitate the sale of legal cannabis, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has begun awarding full licenses to dispensaries.
Even so, proponents of legalization stress that customers should think about getting a medical card before purchasing marijuana. The best way to use cannabis in Missouri is with a medical marijuana card, according to proponents of the drug who have asserted this despite the legalization of recreational use.
Growers and retailers alike anticipate a booming cannabis business in Missouri once recreational use becomes legal. The cost savings for patients may be the most significant benefit of medical marijuana. In Missouri, the statewide sales tax on medical supplies is 4%.
There will be a 6% sales tax on the same cannabis when it’s sold for recreational use. Several jurisdictions in the Kansas City region are planning to impose a 3% local tax if voters approve it in April. Example: a 12% combined local, state, and county tax on marijuana bought in Kansas City, Jackson County, and Missouri.
Patients with valid medical marijuana cards in Missouri are also afforded some legal safeguards. Amendment 3 of the Missouri state constitution prohibits any kind of discrimination against employees who are in possession of a valid medical marijuana identification card.
According to Jonathan Lewis of Mo Gro Solutions, “just because you have adult use and you smoke, doesn’t mean you’re protected.” According to Lewis, anyone in Missouri can apply for a medical ID card. People with common health problems like depression, migraines, and arthritis may usually get a card.
A medicinal marijuana card is valid for three years, but an application for a license to grow marijuana for recreational use must be renewed annually. However, regardless of intent, marijuana use of any kind is illegal. Smoking or consuming cannabis remains illegal in public places like parks and sidewalks as well as in private and public schools.
Marijuana users are also prohibited from lighting up while in a moving vehicle, and landlords have the right to prohibit smoking within their properties. In Missouri, Lewis said he could see lounges allowing pot usage, but that it would require rezoning in the same manner that hookah bars allow indoor smoking.
