The mayor of St. Louis (population 308,000) has signed municipal legislation into law eliminating local penalties for activities involving the possession of marijuana for personal use.
Under the newly signed law, the possession of up to 35 grams of cannabis by adults will no longer be subject to civil penalties. Furthermore, police may no longer cite the odor of cannabis as justification for engaging in a warrantless search. The ordinance also limits the ability of local law enforcement to prosecute cases involving the home cultivation of a small number of marijuana plants.
City lawmakers had previously decriminalized minor marijuana possession offenses in 2013. In 2019, the county’s prosecutor announced that the office would no longer criminally prosecute marijuana possession cases.
Under state law, the possession of more than ten grams of marijuana is classified as a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. Advocates are campaigning to place the issue of statewide legalization before voters in 2022.
