John Payne, the campaign manager of New Approach Missouri, the petition sponsor, says he is confident enough valid signatures will be collected for the 2018 ballot — around 250,000 — to withstand the kind of legal challenges that doomed a similar effort in 2016. Should it get on the ballot, the measure should pass, Payne says.
Public opinion surveys show that between 62 and 64 percent of Missouri voters approve of medical cannabis, Payne says.
"What we do know from the polling is that having a medical marijuana program does sort of change the way people see the plant as a whole," he says. "They start to realize that this is something that has some benefits for people. So it brings people that were formerly opposed to it to a less hostile position. So it does change the way people think on the issue."
That wouldn't necessarily mean efforts to legalize recreational marijuana would soon follow in Missouri. But it is a fact that all states with legal recreational cannabis began with measures to legalize medical cannabis, Payne says.
Meyers' decision to forge a career in legal cannabis is part of of a national trend that is redefining the burgeoning industry. As the New York Times recently reported, women in their 50s, 60s and 70s are playing major leadership roles in the cannabis industry.
"Inspired partly by their own use of the drug for pain relief, or by caring for others who use it for their own aches, these women see viable business opportunities and view their work as therapeutic for their customers," the newspaper notes.
And women account for about 36 percent of executives in the legal marijuana industry, says Marijuana Business Daily, compared with 22 percent holding top roles in other industries.
Bob Goughenour, who retired as an AB vice-president in 2000 and who worked closely with Meyers developing the Bud Light brand, says her involvement with cannabis makes sense.
"I think she likes a new challenge," Goughenour says. "I think that's a good descriptor of her. This is not about money. She's got a big heart. And she thinks she can help people. That's what she's doing."
Meyers herself believes her gender is a plus, both in her current role's caregiving aspects and its risk-taking.
"The skill sets that are required are something that women are totally capable of," she says. "So you're managing people who are managing patients. And that whole collaborative spirit, collaborative nature — women kind of uniquely embody that."
Pot may be big business in Colorado, but these days in Missouri, it's still unchartered territory. That's something that suits Meyers just fine.
"We don't have the big corporate rich white guys telling us what to do," she says. "It's us kids deciding, 'Let's go for a license.' We get it, and go, 'Crap, now what are we going to do?'We got to find a facility, hire people." And then they wait for the politicians to catch up — or the people to take the lead.
