What ballot summary did Missouri approve for petition 2026-142 on marijuana rights, expungement, and tax revenue?

Plain-English summary

Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway approved the legal content and form of the proposed ballot summary for Eapen Thampy's initiative petition 2026-142, version 2 of an Article XIV amendment.

The approved summary said the proposal would repeal current medical- and adult-use-marijuana provisions and recognize individual rights to use, possess, and cultivate marijuana. It would require the legislature to enact unified regulation by 2027 or make those activities constitutionally lawful if the legislature failed to act.

The summary also described removing license caps, possession limits, and mandatory seed-to-sale tracking; automatically expunging prior nonviolent marijuana offenses; and dedicating tax revenue to veterans, addiction treatment, and public-defense programs.

The Attorney General's review under § 116.334, RSMo was limited to legal content and form and did not endorse the proposal.

What this means for you

Cannabis businesses

The approved wording described proposed removal of license caps, possession limits, and mandatory seed-to-sale tracking. The opinion itself did not change those rules.

People with prior nonviolent marijuana offenses

The summary described automatic expungement as part of the proposal. The opinion approved only the wording.

Voters and ballot-measure researchers

Opinion 325-2025 records the approved five-part description, including the 2027 legislative deadline and dedicated tax revenue.

Common questions

Q: Did version 2 mention hemp rights?
A: No. The approved summary described marijuana use, possession, cultivation, offenses, and tax revenues.

Q: What happened if the legislature did not enact unified laws by 2027?
A: The summary said the covered activities would become constitutionally lawful.

Q: Where would tax revenues go?
A: Veterans, addiction treatment, and public-defense programs.

Background and statutory framework

The Secretary of State requested review on October 15, 2025. The proposed summary concerned Eapen Thampy's petition 2026-142, version 2, to amend Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution.

The Attorney General issued Opinion 325-2025 on October 27, 2025 and approved the summary's legal content and form under § 116.334, RSMo.

Citations and references

Statute: § 116.334, RSMo.

Source

• Landing page: https://ago.mo.gov/other-resources/ag-opinions/
• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/325-2025.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
CATHERINE L. HANAWAY

October 27, 2025

OPINION LETTER NO. 325-2025

The Honorable Denny Hoskins, CPA
Missouri Secretary of State
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Dear Secretary Hoskins:

This opinion letter responds to your request dated October 15, 2025, for our review under § 116.334, RSMo, of a proposed summary statement prepared for the petition submitted by Eapen Thampy (2026-142) regarding a proposed amendment to amend Article XIV, version 2, of the Missouri Constitution. The proposed summary statement is as follows:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to repeal current provisions governing medical and adult-use marijuana and instead:

• recognize individual rights to use, possess, and cultivate marijuana;
• require the legislature to enact unified laws for its regulation by 2027 or, failing that, make such activities constitutionally lawful;
• remove license caps, possession limits, and mandatory seed-to-sale tracking;
• provide for automatic expungement of prior non-violent marijuana offenses; and
• dedicate tax revenues to veterans, addiction treatment, and public defense programs?

Pursuant to § 116.334, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the proposed statement. Because our review of the statement is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition, nor as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents.

Very truly yours,

CATHERINE L. HANAWAY
Attorney General