Pro-Choice Missouri opposes marijuana ballot question as progressive groups split on amendment

One of Missouri’s largest abortion rights advocacy groups this week came out against a Nov. 8 ballot question that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Pro-Choice Missouri, in a statement posted on social media, said it supported the legalization of marijuana, but criticized the constitutional amendment for not going far enough to address historic harms of marijuana criminalization.

The group said the amendment “is deceptive and intentionally unclear where it matters, like abortion restrictions often are. It does not equitably address the historic harms or the predatory administrative systems it would rely on, such as the Missouri Department of Health, which was caught attempting to monitor the menstrual cycles of patients accessing care at planned parenthood.”

If the ballot measure is approved, the state’s marijuana industry would be overseen by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Pro-Choice Missouri’s statement was referring to the department’s former director, Randall Williams, who testified in 2019 that he kept a spreadsheet to track the menstrual periods of women who visited Planned Parenthood. Williams stepped down in 2021.

The abortion rights group’s stance illustrates a unique divide among legalization advocates and progressive-leaning organizations over how Missouri should legalize marijuana. The amendment, which will be listed on the ballot as Amendment 3, has been endorsed by civil liberties groups such as the Missouri ACLU and Empower Missouri. It is also backed by organized labor groups Missouri AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Pro-Choice Missouri, in their statement, said marijuana legalization and the expungement of marijuana-related arrests is an issue of “reproductive justice.”

“Like bans on access to abortion, the racist criminalization of cannabis causes harm to people, families and entire communities,” the statement said.

State Rep. Tracy McCreery, a St. Louis Democrat, said in a text to a reporter that Pro-Choice Missouri’s anti-endorsement was a “classic example of a group getting outside of their lane.”

Supporters say the amendment is the state’s best chance to legalize marijuana. They tout the amendment for putting an end to marijuana arrests — which have disproportionately affected minority communities.

“Amendment 3 represents justice for the thousands of workers who will have a clearer path to quality employment once their nonviolent marijuana convictions are expunged,” Rhiannon Duryea, SEIU’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Across the country, legalization has generated millions of dollars for some while leaving behind many minority communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Amendment 3 is the step forward Missouri needs to ensure more workers have access to livable wages and respect on the job.”

State Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat, said in an interview that he supports the marijuana amendment but understands why some groups have concerns with it.

“I do understand that there are some groups that feel this simply isn’t good enough, especially in its social equity side,” he said. “I know that Pro-Choice Missouri does their very best to look at an intersectionality of issues and must have come to the conclusion that that this would unbalance, not be enough for the communities that need help.”

Merideth said that Pro-Choice Missouri’s stance shows that the divide over legalization is about the details of the amendment, not the big picture. He said the amendment is significantly better than the status quo.

“You’re getting different conclusions from well-intentioned people with similar goals in mind, but we’re just drawing different conclusions on the overall balance of good versus problems.”

John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, the primary group campaigning for the amendment’s passage, in a statement touted support from a wide range of groups. He also championed the fact that the amendment would allow Missourians who were previously charged with nonviolent marijuana offenses to have their criminal records automatically expunged.

He did not specifically respond to Pro-Choice Missouri’s opposition.

“The single biggest step Missouri can make in criminal justice reform this election is passing Amendment 3, which is why organizations like ACLU, Freedom Inc., Empower Missouri and Communities Creating Opportunity all support marijuana legalization and automatic expungement,” the statement said. “In less than two weeks, Missouri will make history as the 20th state to legalize cannabis and the very first to automatically expunge past, nonviolent cannabis records by a vote of the people.”

The Nov. 8 ballot question will ask voters whether to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Some legalization advocates have raised concerns that the amendment would create a monopoly in the marijuana industry that favors established medical marijuana companies and leave out prospective business owners from marginalized communities.