Columbia Disabilities Commission endorses marijuana cultivation bill for 'seriously ill' people

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A bill that would decriminalize the cultivation of small amounts of marijuana in Columbia has been endorsed by one city panel after two other commissions withheld their support.

The Columbia Disabilities Commission voted unanimously last week to endorse legislation offered by Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe that would allow people who grow two plants to face penalties of only $250, while people who are considered seriously ill could grow two plants without any penalty.

Hoppe originally proposed that people who are growing as many as six marijuana plants face only a $250 fine and that people deemed "seriously ill" could grow the same number of plants without penalty. The modified bill reduced the number of plants allowed and required that the plants be kept indoors and in a locked area inaccessible to children. It also would allow a seriously ill person to designate a caregiver to grow plants for them if they are unable, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.

The Columbia City Council asked the commission for a recommendation on the bill. It also asked for recommendations from the Columbia Board of Health and the Substance Abuse Advisory Commission, both of which declined to endorse the proposal.

The council last week tabled discussion of the bill until Oct. 20.

"Seriously ill" people would include those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, HIV or AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, migraine headaches, arthritis, chronic severe pain or any other condition for which a doctor says marijuana can help alleviate the symptoms. They would be required to have a physician's note to possess or cultivate marijuana without penalty.

Disabilities Commission chairman Chuck Graham said members were influenced by Christy Welliver, a former commission member who said before she died in 2011 that medical marijuana helped her deal with multiple sclerosis.

"I would also say that her longtime influence on the commission before I was added to it last year, people knowing her personally and knowing what it had done for her, probably had a significant impact on people," he said.

Dan Rader, a member of the Substance Abuse Advisory Commission, said the main concern on that commission was that the proposal violates state law.

"It would create a lot of confusion," Rader said. "I think most of the commissioners would think it would be most appropriate if it was addressed at a statewide level."

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com