Missouri lawmaker seeks support for legalizing medical marijuana in state
Published: Nov 6, 2017, 9:06 am • Updated: Nov 6, 2017, 9:06 am
By Kyle Lahucik, Associated Press
Columbia, Missouri’s Second Ward Councilman Michael Trapp wants the state to make medical marijuana legal, and he’s asking his City Council colleagues to approve a resolution encouraging the state legislature to act.
The resolution won’t come to a vote at the council’s regular meeting Monday night. Rather, a draft of the resolution is included in a report that’s intended to gauge the level of council support for the idea.
When local attorney Dan Viets was looking at the prescription drug monitoring program, he “reached out and made the point that a more effective approach would be medical marijuana, and I was aware that the data shows a significant reduction in opioid overdoses in states that have medical marijuana,” Trapp said.
Trapp agreed to look further into Viets’ observation. Viets handles criminal defense cases, including ones related to marijuana and other prohibited substances, according to his website.
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After talking to activists and community members, Trapp said it seemed important to add the resolution to the city’s agenda and bring it forward as a report. Viets drafted a resolution, and City Counselor Nancy Thompson edited it to create the draft that will be presented Monday night.
If there’s no support, Trapp said, then it will “end right there as a discussion.” If Trapp’s fellow council members seem supportive, the resolution will come up for a vote at a future City Council meeting.
It’s a common-sense measure, Trapp said, and he hopes there will be majority support for it.
Topics: legalization, legislation, medical marijuana, Missouri
