Commission Putting Marijuana Tax On April Ballot

Crawford County commissioners on Tuesday approved a proposed 3 percent tax on marijuana sales on the April ballot.

Tuesday was the deadline for measures to go on the ballot.

Crawford County is one of many counties and municipalities that is seeking voter approval for the 3 percent tax on recreational marijuana, which can be sold in dispensaries this month.

If a dispensary were to open in the city of Bourbon, where they are also seeking a 3 percent tax, buyers would be taxed at 6 percent, in addition to the existing sales tax already in place and the  6 percent state sales tax.

Commissioners held off putting the vote on the April ballot until they were able to get the counsel of Prosecuting Attorney David Smith.

The ballot language submitted for voter approval says the 3 percent tax would be used for the purposes of the county.

During the commission’s Jan. 10 meeting, it was discussed using the tax for law enforcement purposes.

Originally, it was suggested that the tax couldn’t be used for general revenue, but that was dismissed by Smith.

Sheriff Darin Layman was hoping that the tax could be used for everyone from the sheriff’s department, to the courts and the prosecuting attorney’s office, since “law enforcement’ is a broad term, he said.

Layman wanted to ensure everyone working to enforce the law, which was approved by voters in November 2022, would get their share.

Circuit Court Clerk Karen Harlan told commissioners she would use some of the money to work on expunging past cases.

The state is instructed by the wording of the amendment to use the sales tax to fund regulation and enforcement of recreational marijuana and a program to expunge past records.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been rolling out its rules for recreational marijuana.

DHSS is the regulatory authority over the program and has overseen the state’s medical marijuana program since 2018.

The Division of Cannabis Regulation has published three sets of draft rules to gather public feedback since the amendment passed in November.

Once the rules are effective, DHSS will begin approving or denying requests from licensed medical marijuana facilities to convert to comprehensive facilities, which can serve both medical and adult-use consumers. After conversion, sales to adult-use consumers may begin as soon as comprehensive dispensary facilities are ready to commence operating under their new authority.   

Also per Amendment 3 to Article XIV, DHSS will begin accepting applications for consumer personal cultivation by Feb. 6. Once approved, this will allow authorized persons, who are at least 21 years of age, to grow plants for personal, non-commercial use within an enclosed locked facility at their residence.