KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri will remain on the Nov. 8 ballot after the Missouri Supreme Court declined to transfer a lawsuit challenging the ballot initiative.
The state’s high court on Tuesday ruled that it would not transfer the lawsuit after the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled the previous day that Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft took the proper steps certify the petition for the ballot.
The appeals court ruling and Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision officially dismissed a lawsuit filed by anti-drug legalization advocate Joy Sweeney that argued the marijuana petition was not properly certified and should be blocked from appearing on the November ballot. The ballot question will be on the ballot as Amendment 3 and asks voters to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21.
“We are now one step away from passing Amendment 3, which will bring millions in new revenue to Missouri, while allowing law enforcement to concentrate on fighting violent and serious crime,” John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, the primary group that crafted the amendment, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Ashcroft did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Sweeney’s lawsuit claimed that the number of signatures verified by local election authorities was not enough to get the petition on the ballot. It argued that Ashcroft certified and counted signatures that were not verified by local election authorities.
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