A Columbia-based group supporting marijuana legalization wants Missouri voters to change the Constitution to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.
Show-Me Cannabis on Wednesday submitted to Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander's office the first initiative petition for the 2016 election.
Kander's office announced its 30-day comment period on the proposal also had begun, as his staff begins the review process required by state law.
Public comments on the proposed petition should be made on the secretary's website at www.sos.mo.gov/comment.
If the petition ultimately is approved for circulation, it would need 165,000 signatures to make it to the Nov. 8, 2016, ballot.
"Two more states and the District of Columbia rejected cannabis prohibition at the ballot box (Tuesday), and we fully intend to join them in 2016, so we are starting this process as early as we possibly can," John Payne, Show-Me Cannabis executive director, said in a news release. "We still have a long road ahead of us, but we can feel the wind at our backs."
At Tuesday's election, voters in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia voted to legalize marijuana.
Voters in Guam legalized medical marijuana, while Florida voters shot down a similar proposal.
Earlier this year, the Missouri Legislature approved a bill to reduce the crime of marijuana possession (up to 10 grams) from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D misdemeanor, starting in 2017. Gov. Jay Nixon let the bill pass into law without signing it.
If Show-Me Cannabis' proposal gets on the ballot and is approved by the majority of voters, the measure would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults over 21. It also would allow for the distribution of medical cannabis with the recommendation of a physician.
Show-Me Cannabis said the amendment likely would generate tens and possibly hundreds of millions in new tax revenues to be allocated to law enforcement and firefighter pensions; substance abuse programs and underage drug use prevention; elementary, secondary, and higher education programs; veterans' services; and the enforcement of cannabis regulations.
Earlier this year, the pro-legalization group said it was postponing efforts to get the measure on the 2014 ballot, saying its polling data didn't show enough support yet.
Dan Viets, a Columbia attorney and spokesman for Show-Me Cannabis, said they believe they now have that support, and that it is constantly growing as a younger voting demographic replaces older voters. A Gallup poll shows 58 percent support nationwide, he said.
The increase of states legalizing marijuana also helps in Missouri, he said. So far, four states have legalized recreational marijuana and 23 allow it for medical use.