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Only a year after opening, marijuana dispensary Root 66 may be in peril. On Nov. 5, Des Peres voters will decide whether to ban the sale of recreational marijuana within city limits. The measure will appear on the ballot as Proposition M.
Originally approved to sell medical marijuana in August 2022, Root 66, located at 12095 Manchester Road, later applied to sell recreational marijuana following the November 2022 passage of Amendment 3, which legalized recreational marijuana in Missouri.
Despite strong opposition from some Des Peres residents, Root 66 was approved to sell recreational marijuana in September 2023 and opened a month later.
“We put a lot of thought into the possibility of the board of aldermen denying Root 66, but ultimately, we would have faced litigation,” said Des Peres City Administrator Scott Schaefer. “The rallying cry against Root 66 had very little to do with the land use and zoning aspects of it, which was our jurisdiction.
“They (residents) had concerns about the morality and whether it was a desirable use, and we cared about that. We were sensitive to those concerns,” Schaefer continued. “But it was obvious that this would never end unless we put it on the ballot. If they really want to stop it, this is the only way to do it.”
Amendment 3 contains ballot language allowing individual cities a vote to ban the sale of recreational marijuana, but the matter can only be added to the ballot in presidential election years and must pass with a 60% majority.
In June 2023, the Des Peres Board of Aldermen voted to place the matter on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot.
Leading that charge was former Alderman John Pound, who called the approval of Root 66 “the most controversial decision we’ve ever had to make.” He was one of two votes against granting Root 66 its recreational sales license.
Originally intending to run for reelection, Pound dropped out of the April 2, 2024, race after he pleaded guilty on March 7 to three counts of wire fraud over a period of 14 years for embezzling more than $200,000 from a condominium association in the Central West End. He was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay the money.
According to Schaefer, the current board of aldermen was canvassed before bringing Prop M to the St. Louis County Board of Elections this April.
“They’re all on the same page,” he said. “It was their decision to defer to the voters as part of a ballot initiative.”
Schaefer said it cost the city just over $12,000 to put Prop M on the Nov. 5 ballot, which includes the presidential race. In a typical municipal election, the city spends $3,000 to $5,000 on ballot initiatives.
Olivette is the only other Missouri city voting on Marijuana sales this election cycle.
Root 66
Root 66 was founded by Hamid Hamrah, a former Des Peres resident. Its co-owner, Dan Welsh, attended Kirkwood schools. The Des Peres store is one of five Root 66 locations in the St. Louis area.
According to Root 66 Marketing Director Jordan Van Sickel, the passage of Prop M would force Des Peres to forfeit potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue.
“Considering the city purposely delayed the approval process for our store to open for nearly 21 months, we recently requested that the city postpone the referendum to enable more time to integrate into the business community and demonstrate that we are valuable corporate citizens. The city denied our request,” said Van Sickel. “Unfortunately, we continued to be treated differently than other Des Peres businesses.”
While the city cannot disclose specific gross receipts for individual businesses, City Administrator Schaefer confirmed Root 66 is on track to generate between $100,000 and $120,000 in annual sales tax revenue for Des Peres, which is in line with the average for Missouri cannabis dispensaries.
Schaefer confirmed that Root 66’s tax revenue has been “a great benefit,” and that the finance committee has had conversations revolving around what losing the dispensary would mean for the city.
Should Root 66 lose its ability to sell recreational marijuana, it would still be permitted to sell medical marijuana, which is a constitutionally protected practice and cannot be banned by cities in Missouri.
Though much of the opposition to Root 66 cited safety concerns, including speculation that the business would attract crime and worsen traffic, Des Peres Mayor Mark Becker said those concerns have thus far been unfounded.
“I am pleased to report, as communicated by our director of public safety, that in the 12 months since Root 66 began recreational sales, no criminal activity has been reported on the premises,” said Mayor Becker. “Additionally, I am not aware of any actions initiated by city staff to address any public nuisances since the commencement of recreational sales.”
Should Prop M fail, Schaefer said a future board of aldermen could return the matter to the ballot in 2028, but no such discussions have been held.
“We never want to commit a future body to do something,” he said. “It’s really just about getting everybody’s temperature on it at the time.”
Times Editor Emeritus Don Corrigan contributed to this story.
”}]] Only a year after opening, marijuana dispensary Root 66 may be in peril. On Nov. 5, Des Peres voters will decide whether to ban the sale of recreational marijuana within Read More