Missouri voters approve Amendment 3 to legalize adult-use cannabis, while three Great Plains and Southern states vote No
On November 8, 2022, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3 by 53.10% to 46.90%—launching sales less than three months later—while voters in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected adult-use measures.
On November 8, 2022, five states voted on adult-use cannabis ballot measures. Alongside Maryland’s landslide, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3 by a margin of 53.10% Yes (1,092,432 votes) to 46.90% No (965,020 votes), making Missouri the 21st state to legalize recreational cannabis.
What Missouri’s Amendment 3 established
Taking effect on December 8, 2022, Missouri’s 39-page constitutional amendment legalized adult possession, automatic court-administered expungements, and rapid retail conversion:
- Possession and purchasing: Adults 21 and older may purchase and possess up to 3 ounces of dried, unprocessed cannabis (or its equivalent).
- Home cultivation: Adults 21+ who obtain a $100 annual personal cultivation registration card from the state may grow up to 6 flowering plants, 6 non-flowering plants, and 6 clones in an enclosed, locked facility.
- Automatic expungement: Amendment 3 mandated automatic court expungement of non-violent misdemeanor and felony cannabis offenses involving 3 pounds or less (excluding distribution to minors or DUID).
- February 2023 retail launch: Existing medical dispensaries received comprehensive licenses and began selling recreational cannabis across Missouri on February 3, 2023, topping $1.4 billion in combined cannabis sales in the first full year.
Three states reject recreational ballot measures on the same night
Unlike the 2020 election where cannabis won every ballot contest, voters in three conservative states rejected adult-use initiatives on November 8, 2022:
- Arkansas Issue 4: Defeated with 43.75% Yes to 56.25% No (facing opposition both from traditional prohibitionists and some reform advocates who criticized its corporate license caps and lack of home grow).
- North Dakota Statutory Measure 2: Defeated with 45.06% Yes to 54.94% No.
- South Dakota Initiated Measure 27: Defeated with 47.08% Yes to 52.92% No, a year after the South Dakota Supreme Court struck down 2020’s voter-approved Amendment A.
Originally reported by Missouri Secretary of State & Ballotpedia
Sources (2)
- Missouri Secretary of State, Official Election Returns — November 8, 2022 General Election (Constitutional Amendment 3: 1,092,432 Yes / 53.10% to 965,020 No / 46.90%). https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Amendment_3,_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2022)
- 2022 Ballot Measure Results: Arkansas Issue 4 (43.75% Yes / 56.25% No); North Dakota Measure 2 (45.06% Yes / 54.94% No); South Dakota Measure 27 (47.08% Yes / 52.92% No).
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