Show-Me Cannabis discusses plans for the legalization of marijuana in the state

Dozens of locals who filled the Hirsch Room at the Cape Girardeau Public Library to standing-room only Monday night came together to discuss marijuana's future in Missouri.

Show-Me Cannabis, a Kansas City, Mo.-based group that advocates for the legalization and regulation of marijuana in the state, visited Cape Girardeau to host a public meeting for its cause. The meeting featured presentations and a question-and-answer session by executive director and treasurer of Show-Me Cannabis John Payne, St. Louis Police Department Sgt. Gary Wiegert and state Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Pacific. The three men expressed their personal views on the topic of marijuana with the audience members of ranging ages.

There are no laws legalizing marijuana in Missouri; however Columbia, Mo., and St. Louis have decriminalized marijuana, making the consequence of the possession of small amounts of marijuana a low-level misdemeanor with no jail time, similar to a traffic ticket.

A similar bill made it on the table during the last day of the legislative session and had a positive response, Payne said, but it was too late for the committee to take action on the bill.

Payne addressed future plans for the legalization of marijuana in the state. Those who make "youthful mistakes" should not be labeled as criminals for the rest of their lives, he said, and instead should be able to have possession charges taken off their records after five years.

A bill moving in a more positive direction through the state legislature is one regarding industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is made from the stalk of a cannabis plant and, as proposed in the bill, must contain less than 1 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, content in Missouri. Industrial hemp is used to make fabric and rope.

Wiegert, a tea party and Show-Me Cannabis lobbyist, said money could be made in the state if it were allowed to grow cannabis to produce industrial hemp.

He said though it is not illegal in the state to do so, the federal government does not provide a tax stamp to grow cannabis for industrial hemp in Missouri.

"It is not the role of the federal government to tell the state what to do," Wiegert said.

The sergeant also discussed his thoughts on the productivity of marijuana arrests in St. Louis. Wiegert said when he joined the St. Louis Police Department in 1980, it was frowned upon to make marijuana-related arrests because officers could be more productive doing other things. He said policing marijuana infractions has not been effective and has worsened over the years.

Curtman spoke at the meeting to offer a "conservative perspective" on the issue, he said.

Curtman agreed the laws regarding marijuana are more "heavy-handed" than they need to be.

"This may not be the best use of taxpayer money dollars," he said, regarding a law stating an individual who passes 5 grams of the drug can be sentenced to up to seven years in prison with "real criminals."

"We've got to make sure we're locking people up when they are a real threat to a person's life or property," he said.

During the question-and-answer session, Curtman said he was not endorsing the legalization of marijuana because he is not educated enough on the topic, but he does believe drug regulation needs to be addressed at the state and local level -- not the federal level.

State Rep. Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson, and state Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, also attended the meeting.

During the question-and-answer session, Lichtenegger said the use of drug courts as opposed to jail time has saved money and kept some of those with marijuana-related offenses away from hard criminals.

"Until the law changes we have to do something," she said.

Other concerns voiced during the question-and-answer session were topics such as medicinal marijuana, how to keep the federal government from getting involved with state legislation, where seized-drug money goes and how locals can get involved with promoting the legalization and regulation of marijuana in Missouri.

Payne said current laws against marijuana are reminiscent of those during Prohibition.

The most basic way to put it, he said, is "the laws don't work."

For more information on Show-Me Cannabis, visit show-mecannabis.com.

ashedd@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, MO