Activists in Missouri set their sights on St. Louis

Activists in Missouri were hopeful they could place an initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana on the 2012 ballot, but unfortunately fell short of the necessary number of petition signatures. They then shifted their focus from a statewide initiative to a local effort in Springfield and were successful in getting marijuana decriminalization enacted, only to see the city council thwart their efforts and the democratic process along the way. Still, they're not giving up.

Now St. Louis is taking center stage in Missouri’s ongoing debate about our broken marijuana laws. An ordinance, supported by the same folks who have been working for reform in Springfield and statewide, would set the maximum penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana at 90 days in jail. Also, enforcement would be handled by a summons rather than arrest. That’s still far from perfect, but much lower than the current state law maximums of one year in jail and $1,000 in fines.

An even better step would be to make marijuana possession a civil penalty, rather than criminal one, and remove the possibility of jail time. Ask your elected officials to support this sensible reform or to sponsor medical marijuana legislation and show compassion toward Missouri residents suffering from debilitating illnesses. You can also head over to our ”take action” page for more tips on getting involved.

Marijuana laws in Missouri

Missouri has some of the harshest marijuana laws in the country. Possession of any amount of marijuana — even as little as a gram — can be punished by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Possession of over 35 grams — about 1.25 ounces — is a felony subject to up to a seven-year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine. You can read more about the effects of Missouri’s harsh marijuana laws (like the fact that over 91% of marijuana arrests in Missouri are for simple possession) in this 2009 report by Jon Gettman, Ph.D.

Stay connected

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. If you have any questions concerning the status of marijuana policy reform in Missouri, you can contact us by email at state@mpp.org.

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