A proposal in Missouri’s legislature would let voters decide if the disbursement of medical marijuana tax revenue should remain with the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) or be transferred to the General Assembly.
House Joint Resolution 142, which is sponsored by Rep. Jason Chipman, R-Steelville, would give voters a chance to change Article XIV in the Missouri Constitution.
It was in November 2018 that 66% of Missouri voters approved Amendment 2 to legalize the medical use of cannabis. The ballot language stated the amendment would “impose a 4% tax on the retail sale of marijuana for medical purposes by dispensary facilities. The funds from the license fees and tax will be used by the Missouri Veterans Commission for health and care services for military veterans, and by the Department of Health and Senior Services to administer the program to license/certify and regulate marijuana and marijuana facilities.”
Chipman told the House Veterans Committee his amendment is necessary because it properly aligns the legislature’s appropriation authority with the Missouri Constitution.
“All I want to do is put some oversight into the department that oversees the program over DHSS,” Chipman said. “The legislature has the power of the purse and the way this was written, it completely skips by the legislature and there’s no oversight of the department in regards to how they function and regulate this industry.”
Chipman’s resolution called for DHSS’ administrative costs to be limited to 2% of all medical marijuana taxes and fees but said it would be amended after discussions with the director and legal counsel for the state’s medical marijuana program.
“I have no intent on changing the industry itself, the structure that they have set up, and I definitely don’t have any intention on changing the money that goes to the veterans,” Chipman said. “But what I do want to see is some oversight into how those funds are distributed to the department to administer the program.”
Chipman’s resolution also expands the disbursements to include suicide prevention and construction of additional veterans homes.
