KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pro-marijuana groups in Missouri have filed initiative petitions for the 2022 elections to legalize the recreational use of cannabis in the state.

According to the Secretary of State’s website, Legal Missouri 22 filed an initiative on Aug. 27, and Fair Access Missouri filed two initiatives on Sept. 1. Both are currently under “accepting comments” status.

We reached out to both organizations for comment on getting the measure on the 2022 ballot.

In short, the initiatives would provide a legal market for recreational marijuana at the state level and would remove penalties and fines for possession of limited amounts of cannabis.

“Missouri voters are ready for full legalization of cannabis. We’re working to create an open market with low taxes and low barriers to entry by qualifying and passing a robust adult-use constitutional amendment by initiative petition in 2022,” reads the Fair Access Missouri website.

The medical use of marijuana in Missouri was passed in 2018 and new language in the 2022 proposal would allow state-licensed physicians to recommend marijuana to patients with serious illnesses and allows patients to discuss the use of marijuana with their doctors.

The Secretary of State’s office has 23 days to draft ballot summary language while they review submitted comments.

In the United States, 19 other states have fully legalized recreational marijuana. Missouri joins Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Hawaii, Ohio and Rhode Island in decriminalizing cannabis and legalizing its medical use.