Residents urge Olivette council to refer recreational cannabis ban to November ballot

Several residents used the council’s public-comment period on June 25 to press the Olivette City Council to give voters a chance to decide whether to ban recreational marijuana dispensaries in the city.

Von Morrow asked whether the city was preparing to authorize dispensaries; city staff and council clarified there are no site plans or development proposals before the city at this time. Kate Hellman said she and neighbors are circulating information and asked the council to refer language to the November ballot so voters can decide. "The ban would only apply to recreational dispensaries, not to medical dispensaries," Hellman said.

Other speakers—Sosong Yao, Emily (a recent Ladue High School graduate), Adrian Underwood, Stephanie Todd and Rafael Tomanson—echoed Hellman’s request and urged the council to use its authority to place a referendum on the presidential-election ballot rather than requiring residents to run a petition under the initiative process.

During the second public-comment segment Dr. Reika Ramanuja, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, urged the council to refer a ban for a public vote, citing concerns about adolescent cannabis use and mental-health impacts. "The teen mental health crisis continues to worsen and my experience has shown that regular cannabis use makes it worse," she said.

City officials repeatedly noted the local process exists for either a council referral or a resident-initiated petition and confirmed that, at present, no dispensary proposals are before the city.

The council did not vote on any ordinance or referral at the June 25 meeting. Speakers said they intend to pursue either a council referral or an initiative petition ahead of the November ballot.