Proposal to legalize pot filed in Missouri
You knew it was coming.
And you could’ve guessed that when it finally came, the proposal would be made by a lawmaker from Columbia, Missouri’s big college town.
Shocker: He’s a Democrat.
State Rep. Chris Kelly last week
that would establish a 25 percent tax on marijuana and set up a system for licensing growers and retailers.
Rudi Keller at the Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Kelly became convinced pot should be legal while serving as an associate circuit judge.
“There is no good evidence to show marijuana is any more dangerous than alcohol or other substances,” Kelly said. “We waste too much money and too many lives because of” marijuana prohibition.
Kelly calls his bill a starting point for conversation. Chances of passage this year? Zippo.
But here comes the debate.
This story was originally published February 5, 2014 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Proposal to legalize pot filed in Missouri."