Missouri House panel sends medical marijuana bill forward

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House may consider a medical marijuana law that has garnered some Republican support after a House committee unanimously approved the proposal Tuesday.

The GOP-sponsored measure would set up a system for some Missouri residents with specific illnesses and a doctor's approval to obtain and use marijuana legally in the state.

"It's quite clear from the unanimous support of the committee that it warrants a discussion that the entire body needs to have," said Columbia Rep. Caleb Jones, who is chairman of the House Select Committee on General Laws.

Republican lawmakers in Missouri have been leery of loosening marijuana laws in the past, repeatedly expressing concerns about potential consequences such as abuse of the system. But last year, they passed a measure to give access to a cannabis oil extract to patients with epilepsy.

Opposition to broader legalization remains, and legislators say they want to ensure any medical marijuana allowance is strictly controlled. To that end, the bill says only patients with specific illnesses including cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder and Parkinson's disease would be eligible to register with the recommendation of a doctor. The state's Department of Health and Senior Services would administer the program.

Patients or caregivers of homebound patients who are delegated the ability to get the drug could possess up to 30 grams during a one-month period.

Advocates for broader legalization say the measure might be too restrictive, and cited concerns with the small amount, exclusion of some illnesses and lack of a home-growing allowance for patients.

John Payne, executive director of Show-Me Cannabis, said limited locations and the difficult hurdles of starting up a location could create hurdles to access.

"We certainly support anything that will allow patients more access to something they need," Payne said. "We want to make sure if it happens that it happens in a way that is helpful and not in a way that we have to come back and fix."

The measure would also create licensing and security requirements for up to 30 businesses that could grow, process and sell marijuana. The cannabis centers would have to get both local and state approvals.

House Speaker John Diehl says there's some chance the measure could move forward but wants to be sure it's fully vetted.

The bill sponsor and committee have worked to make the measure the "most restrictive and protective medical marijuana bill that there is in the country," Diehl said. "With that, we want to be very, very careful and make sure that there's nothing -- that you don't have any unknown unknowns on how you set it up."