An exclusive interview with John Payne, executive director of Missouri’s Show-Me Cannabis policy-reform organization.

by Noelle Skodzinski

In November 2014, Missouri cannabis-policy-reform organization Show-Me Cannabis(named after Missouri’s nickname as The Show-Me State)  filed a petition with the Missouri Secretary of State to amend the state constitution to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis. The petition was required to undergo a review and public comment period, according to the Show-Me Cannabis website, before signatures could begin to be collected.

The initiative is the second the group has proposed. The first initiative was proposed in 2012, and while it was ultimately unsuccessful, it served as the catalyst for the growth and solidification of Show-Me Cannabis, says the group’s executive director, John Payne.

The new initiative would legalize the production, sale, distribution, and consumption of marijuana and hemp products by adults 21 years and older, and it would allow marijuana use for medical purposes. It also would tax and regulate marijuana sales, and...