SMC Newsletter: April 22, 2014 John Payne April 22, 2014 | John Payne

Senate Committee Approves Medical Cannabis Bill

By John Payne

This afternoon, the General Laws Committee of the Missouri Senate approved S.B. 951 with a Do Pass recommendation by a unanimous vote of six to zero! The bill allows patients to use and access medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation and creates a system of medical cannabis dispensaries across the state.

The bill was amended from its original version, and since it was approved just minutes before I sat down to write this, I do not know all the details of the amendments. However, I know that it is somewhat more restrictive now.

The home growing provision was removed; the number of dispensaries is capped at 50 statewide; and medical cannabis must be ingested and not smoked according to the new language. We would obviously prefer a bill that would allow for home grows and more dispensaries, but the committee would not approve the bill in that form.

The bill now moves to the Senate floor and (hopefully) to a vote by the full Senate. If it is approved there, it can move to the House for their consideration. However, time is running short, with the legislative session ending in just three and a half weeks, so even if everything runs smoothly, the bill may not be approved this year.

Even if it doesn’t pass this year, getting the bill approved in committee is substantial progress. Now that it has been approved, the issue will be seen as more legitimate by legislators in both houses, and, if it doesn’t pass this year, it will likely be approved in committee far quicker next session.

Still, we have a real possibility to pass a medical cannabis bill in Missouri this year. A Senate committee had never even heard testimony on medical cannabis before this session, so we have already advanced this bill farther than any medical cannabis bill has gone before!

That would not have been possible without your support. We organized testimony from patients and medical professionals, and set up meetings with key legislators and constituents. I am certain that this bill would not have even received a vote — let alone unanimous committee approval — without those efforts. But we could not have done any of that without financial support from you.

We are educating legislators and all Missourians on these issues, and we are making progress — more quickly than most in Jefferson City thought possible. Please continue to advance the cause by making a contribution now!

Jeff Mizanskey Billboard Posted

By John Payne

As of this past Monday, April 15, motorists traveling east on Interstate 70 from Kansas City near the mile marker 63 encounter a billboard featuring Jeff Mizanskey. As you likely know, Jeff is serving life without parole for a non-violent cannabis offense. The billboard is located about 17 miles west of the junction of I-70 and U.S. 65, which goes south to Sedalia, Jeff’s hometown.

The billboard is already generating more attention for Jeff’s case in the media and more calls to the Governor’s office asking for clemency. It is also forcing over 80,000 drivers each month to think about the human consequences of cannabis prohibition as they pass the sign.

The billboard costs $500 a month, and if it helps free Jeff, that’s a bargain. However, we can’t meet that expense without your help. Please take a moment now to pledge a small $20 recurring contribution to keep Jeff’s story in front of drivers on the busiest interstate in Missouri!

Those of you in the Saint Louis area can also now hear our ads running on KSHE 94.7 FM late night Wednesdays through Fridays. If you haven’t heard them yet, you can listen to them online here.

Of course, we hope to continue expanding our media presence to other markets across the state. In particular, we want to secure radio ads in Kansas City and a billboard in Springfield.

The Springfield billboard will feature Trish and Daryl Bertrand, whose lives were shattered when a SWAT team raided their home because of Daryl’s medical cannabis grow room. A generous contributor has offered to pay for the production costs of the sign — which usually run over $1,000 — but we will need people like you to step forward to help cover the $600 monthly fee.

In Kansas City, I plan to start off our ads with $1,000 monthly budget, and there are several contributors who have already pledged a couple hundred dollars each month to support those efforts. I believe we can have all this media in place by mid-May, but only with your help. Please make a contribution now!

Spring Conference This Saturday in Columbia

Branson Town Hall Scheduled

By John Payne

This Saturday, April 26, we will co-host the Spring 2014 Missouri Cannabis Law Reform Conference with Missouri NORML, MU NORML, and MU SSDP. The event will be held in Allen Auditorium at the University of Missouri in Columbia, located in the Arts & Science Building at 9th St. and Conley Ave. The intended schedule for the conference is as follows:

10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks with MU NORML & SSDP Chapters: Benton Berigan, MU NORML Chapter President, Duell Lauderdale, MU SSDP Chapter President

10:30 a.m. Missouri Chapter Updates (Trish Bertrand of Springfield NORML, Brent Monger of Lake of the Ozarks NORML, Joe Welch Greater Saint Louis NORML)

11:30 a.m. Show-Me Cannabis Board (John Payne, Dan Viets, Amber Langston, Maranda Reynolds)

12:00 p.m. Screening of Sanjay Gupta’s Weed II

12:30 – 1:15 p.m. LUNCH BREAK

12:30 p.m. Alice O’Leary, widow of Bob Randall, the first legal medical marijuana patient in America since 1937

1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Medical Cannabis Panel (Dr. Gil Mobley, Heidi Rayl, Brandy Johnson, and Dolores and Gene Halbin)

2:20 – 3:15 p.m. Missouri Police and Asset Forfeiture Panel (Chief Tony Kirk, Sgt. Gary Wiegert, Eapen Thampy of Americans for Forfeiture Reform)

3:20 – 4:00 p.m. Free Jeff Mizanksey Panel (Attorney Tony Nenninger, Mike Mizanskey, brother of Jeff Mizanskey)

4:00 – 4:15 p.m. Missouri State Representative Paul Curtman (R – Pacific), co-sponsor of industrial hemp bill

4:20 p.m. Keynote Address: Mason Tvert, Marijuana Policy Project Director of Communications, Co-Campaign Director Amendment 64, Co-founder and Director Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)

5:20 p.m. Q&A with all Missouri Cannabis Conference Speakers