[SIZE=14pt]Radically unique cannabis legalization initiative filed in Missouri[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Story by Clay Rains, americanobjectivist.com[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Missouri Cannabis Restoration and Protection Act 2016[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]would eclipse all other legalization measures [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (American Objectivist) - Pro-legalization activists filed a rather bold ballot initiative[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] earlier this month in Missouri's capitol that if approved by voters would give the state by far the most laissez-faire cannabis policy in the nation.[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]The Missouri Cannabis Restoration and Protection Act of 2016, also known as Missouri Initiative Petition 2016-008, was filed in Jefferson City on Dec. 2 by Nick Raines who heads up the Kansas City chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Missouri has been known as the least restrictive of nearly any other state regarding alcohol regulation. The KC NORML president said that if the state treats a substance linked to disease and thousands of deaths each year so liberally, there should be even far less regulation of a plant that has never killed anyone. “We bring the truth,†Raines said, “and we're going to win over every heart and mind in Missouri.â€[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]The initiative's author is Mark Pederson, a longtime Missouri activist and co-founder of the Cannabis Patients Network Institute, an international non-profit aimed at educating patients and others about medical cannabis. When asked how his bill differs from other initiatives, he said the ballot measure will, “put an unprecedented choice before Missourians[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]-t[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]he choice of real legalization.â€[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]A Missourian for over 56 years, Pederson now resides in Colorado. He said he has seen the shortcomings of prohibition as well as the heavy taxation and regulation of reforms passed in Colorado, and how they deprive access for those who desperately need cannabinoid therapy. “This bill lays the groundwork for an industry that will be fair and just for all,†Pederson said of his measure. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]In addition to removing cannabis from the state's list of controlled substances, the measure would levy no taxes whatsoever against patients who have a recommendation from a doctor. Pederson also explained why the initiative also mandates no age limits. “Cannabis is non-toxic; that alone should be a sufficient explanation,†Pederson said but he added that no age limit would also return personal responsibility to the individual and parental responsibility to the parent. Since moving to Colorado, Pederson has been distilling cannabis oil that he provides to patients with a wide range of illnesses both young and old. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]“Cannabis has been proven to be therapeutic, healing cancers and seizure disorders for even our most vulnerable. My partner Regina Nelson and I have worked closely with terminally ill children as young as one year old. If cannabis [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]-[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] all cannabis [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]-[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] is safe for critically ill children, it's safe for everyone,†Pederson said. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]According to Pederson, the measure also opens the door for a viable hemp industry. “Cannabis is food. It's been food and medicine for humanity for thousands of years,†Pederson said. He said that is why he chose to prohibit any licensing, testing or zoning restrictions being levied against farmers in the language of his bill unlike all other states that have passed cannabis reforms. “The rebirth of this much needed industry would go far to heal our nation,†Pederson said. He said he expects that annual profits could easily reach over a trillion dollars if truly legalized nationwide.[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]The initiative also addresses the issue of impaired driving differently than reforms in other states. For example, Washington places a[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] limit of 5 nano-grams of THC per milliliter of blood.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] Many activists in that state criticized this aspect before the measure's passage and warned that the state would only make up for fewer possession arrests by trading them for DUI arrests. Within six months of passage of marijuana reform in Washington, the state's DUI charges hit record highs, proving those predictions may have been correct.[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Pederson said that under his bill, “Cannabis alone can no longer be used as a means of profiling and an excuse for arrest and prosecution.†He said under Petition 2016-008, impairment would be determined by law enforcement in the event of an accident or infraction, not by an arbitrary limit on trace metabolites in the blood or urine. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Many may be unaware that people incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses in states like Washington and Colorado remain behind bars despite those activities now being decriminalized. Petition 2016-008 is the first cannabis reform measure that would free non-violent offenders as well as expunge the records of anyone with a past conviction. Another feature setting this initiative drastically apart from others is that the only people who would serve time under this initiative would be law enforcement. Any federal or state law enforcement personnel found to be involved in or assisting with pot busts after the passage of the bill would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Possibly the boldest feature of the initiative is how it addresses the sticky issue of federal premption. Under reform measures passed elsewhere, those states still remain technically open to DEA raids and other legal challenges so long as cannabis is still illegal under federal law. [/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Raines explained that the bill he filed would bring cannabis legalization fully into the realm of the states' rights issue by issuing a direct challenge to the federal government under the Ninth and 10th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. “We're about to make history,†Raines said, “not just for Missouri but as the heart of America, we're paving the way for other states to follow.â€[/SIZE] [SIZE=12pt]Raines says that he should know if Petition 2016-008 is approved as filed by the first of next year. Once approved by the secretary of state's office, KC NORML will begin the signature collection process across the state.[/SIZE]