An initiative to change the Missouri constitution to legalize the recreational use of marijuana acquired enough signatures to make it on the ballot this November. The campaign was certified by the Missouri Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday with 214,535 signatures.

The measure will go before the people of Missouri to decide whether or not to legalize the use of marijuana for those 21 and older. If passed, it could go into effect to grow and buy for personal use as early as December 2022.

Voters approved the use of marijuana for medical use in 2018 with strict guidelines of who could grow, sell, and buy the drug.

According to the Cannabis Industry Journal, Missouri taxes retail sales at 4% of the purchase price. In addition, Missouri taxes retail sales of medical cannabis another 4% of the retail price. The medical cannabis tax is collected by dispensary facilities.

Under this measure, Missouri would tax recreational marijuana sales at 6%, and would bring in an estimated $46 million in the first year. Marijuana tax revenues would go to veterans’ homes, drug treatment programs and public defenders.

According to Ballotpedia.org, if passed, the law would remove state prohibitions on the purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture, and sale of marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of twenty-one, and would also allow individuals with certain marijuana-related offenses to petition for release from prison or parole and probation and have their records expunged; along with imposing a six percent tax on the retail price of recreational marijuana.

If the measure doesn’t pass, the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes will remain prohibited under current law.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story