Missouri is now the 32nd state to legalize medical marijuana with the passing of Amendment 2. Supporters of the amendment gathered Tuesday night to watch the results at Grand Cru.
Amendment 2 taxes medical marijuana at 4 percent with revenue contributing to the creation of the Missouri Veterans Health and Care fund.
Dan Viets is president of the board for New Approach Missouri, the group that sponsored Amendment 2. He said New Approach will spend the next few months working on an implementation of the law with the Department of Health and Senior Services.
"We also want to do what we can to educate doctors on how they can and should recommend cannabis for their patients," Viets said.
Applicants can pre-file their application fee for a medical marijuana license starting December 7th.
Lonnie Kessler, an advocate for Amendment 2, said he plans to apply for a medical marijuana license for his epilepsy. Kessler said he was still processing his emotions after Amendment 2 passed.
"It seems a little surreal that Missouri finally came around and legalized marijuana as medicine," he said. "I'm overwhelmed with emotions right now."
Two other medical marijuana measures on the ballot, Amendment 3 and Proposition C, did not pass. Amendment 3 proposed a 15 percent tax on medical marijuana and was sponsored by Springfield attorney Brad Bradshaw.
Proposition C was an initiative petition that proposed a 2 percent tax. Viets said he was impressed that Missouri voters understood the differences of the three medical marijuana ballot measures.