Lawmaker says GOP resistance may doom Missouri marijuana legalization bill

A Republican lawmaker pushing legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri says his bill is in jeopardy because of stall tactics by his GOP colleagues and the insistence of the House floor leader that it include license caps.

Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, said he was initially told his marijuana legalization bill would come up for debate in the House Monday night, with only two weeks left before the legislature adjourns for the year.

Instead, Hicks says House Majority Leader Dean Plocher informed him that the bill would not move forward without further discussion about including caps on licenses to grow, transport and sell marijuana.

Hicks wants no caps at all, saying the free market should dictate how many businesses emerge in the potentially lucrative industry. He argues license caps implemented by the state in Missouri’s medical marijuana industry have created a monopoly and led to the appearance of corruption.

The bill was already facing long odds, Hicks admits, with pending adjournment, the Senate mired in gridlock and continued opposition from the state’s medical marijuana industry.

But Plocher’s resistance has dealt it a potentially fatal blow, he said. [Read more at Missouri Independent]