New petition seeks recreational marijuana in Missouri

A group dubbed Missourians for a New Approach has launched a petition drive in a bid to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

The group must get 160,199 verified signatures to get the proposal in the November ballot.

"Eleven other states, including our neighbors in Illinois, have successfully regulated and taxed adult-use marijuana, bringing millions in new funding for state services," said John Payne, campaign manager for Missourians for a New Approach and former campaign manager for New Approach Missouri, which helped pass medical marijuana in 2018. "Missourians are strongly in favor of legalizing, taxing and regulating adult marijuana use and we are excited to give voters this opportunity in November."

Read more from The Associated Press.