The bill was drafted by Rep. Jim Neely, R-Cameron. He said marijuana can be an effective medical treatment, even if it is not in the smoke form.

“It’s smokeless so it could be an oil, it could be a rub, it could be a tablet. Anything that is still being done at the federal level.” said Neely, who is a doctor. “Whatever they’re doing at the FDA level with marijuana, we’re going to allow the people in Missouri to do that, if they meet certain criteria.”

He said if the bill was enacted, dispensaries would begin popping up around the state. He said the production of the medical goods will be state of the art.

“That’s what we’re going for, a high tech operation so that we know what we have and the consistency.” said Neely, “The medical part is a pristine, pharmacological lab.” 4/24/18

"The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jim Neely, R-Cameron, said the measure is intended to ease the pain of people who are about to die. But, it also covers patients suffering from debilitating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and epilepsy.

“This is the right thing to do for Missouri,” said Neely, who is a physician." 4/12/18