“The Missouri Constitution contains clear language for how these funds are to be distributed.”
By Rebecca Rivas and Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
About $95 million in Missouri marijuana-tax revenue that voters set aside for veterans services, public defenders and drug-addiction treatment programs sat unspent at the end of the last fiscal year.
And budget projections show that unused pile of cash would still be more than $60 million over the next two years unless lawmakers authorize the intended beneficiaries to use it.
The unspent money was a key criticism of a report issued last month by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, who hammered state lawmakers and the governor for allowing the funds from sales tax on marijuana to stagnate.
Under the Missouri Constitution, the money can’t be spent on anything other than those three areas.
“Missouri voters passed both medical and adult-use marijuana programs with the requirement that the proceeds of these programs would provide needed resources for veterans, the public defender system and addiction programs,” Fitzpatrick’s audit says. “In addition, the Missouri Constitution contains clear language for how these funds are to be distributed. Ensuring these programs have timely access to the funding legally dedicated to them is necessary.”
Gov. Mike Kehoe’s
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