JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Supporters of legalized marijuana are getting an early start on a petition drive to put the measure on Missouri's 2016 ballot.
Columbia attorney Dan Viets has already submitted an initiative petition to the secretary of state's office. That's the first step in an approval process that could clear the way for supporters to start collecting signatures from registered voters.
The proposed constitutional amendment would make it legal to manufacture, sell and use marijuana in Missouri for people age 21 and older. Viets said Thursday that the measure is intended to tax and regulate marijuana in the same way as alcohol.
The Missouri initiative comes after voters on Tuesday approved legalized marijuana in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. Recreational use of marijuana already is legal in Colorado and Washington state.
© Associated Press
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