ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Voters in Des Peres will decide whether to ban the sale of recreational marijuana on Nov. 5.
Des Peres currently has one marijuana dispensary located within the area -- Root 66, which opened in 2023.
Municipalities can ban marijuana dispensaries under the Missouri Constitution, but they can only be voted on during presidential elections years and to pass, it must receive at least 60% of the vote.
"There is no specific opposition to Root 66, it's basically recreational marijuana that the opposition is focused on," said Des Peres Mayor Mark Becker on Total Information A.M. Monday. "Root 66 is the only dispensary in Des Peres."
Becker says the initial proposal dates back to June 2023.
"Basically the opposition at the time brought up issues of public safety, there was a math school in that facility which was pretty close to Root 66," said Becker. "And they just felt as though it wasn't part of what they wanted for the city of Des Peres."
Since the issue has been raised, Becker has attended every public meeting regarding it.
"I have listened to the residents and there was a sizeable group that had issues with marijuana in general," said Becker. "Now this particular measure would not ban medical marijuana, only recreational marijuana."
According to Becker, since Root 66 opened in August 2023, Des Peres Department of Public Safety has responded to three call for service at Root 66 and all three ended up being false alarms triggered by Root 66's security system.
"No crimes have been reported in the 12 months since Root 66 commenced operations," said Becker.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri dispensaries on average have generated around $100,000 to $120,000 in sales tax revenue for their municipalities each year, with approximately 70% of the revenue coming from the purchase of recreational marijuana.