St. Louis Missouri Mayor Repeals City Marijuana Laws, Decriminalizing Possession And Cultivation

Mayor Tishaura Jones signed Bill 132 on Monday, repealing St. Louis's city ordinances that make it illegal to possess and cultivate small amounts of marijuana, reported Fox2now.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed the bill in November.

The decriminalization ordinance comes weeks after the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the legislation, which made it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis without facing the civil penalty.

The bill bars police from enforcing state and federal laws against the possession of small amounts of marijuana and paraphernalia, with certain exceptions.

In addition, the smell or presence of marijuana can no longer be the only probable cause for search and arrest.

“Enforcing stringent marijuana laws diverts our police resources from addressing the most violent crime,” Jones said at a news conference in the City Hall rotunda before signing the bill, reported St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

She also said the repeal will reduce racial disparities in policing, noting that 82% of people arrested in the city on marijuana-related charges in the past three years were Black.

Regarding the bill, Dan Viets from Missouri NORML noted that "If we only repeal the local ordinances, police still have the option to pursue charges under state law." The organization received 170,000 signatures to get a statewide legalization vote on the November 2022 ballot as part of their Legal Missouri 22 campaign.

Photo Courtesy of Lelen Ruete.