St. Louis Will No Longer Prosecute For Small Amounts Of Pot

ST. LOUIS, MO — St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said in an email to staff Tuesday that her office would no longer prosecute charges of marijuana possession for amounts less than 100 grams, the Post-Dispatch reports.

Gardner explained her office made the decision as it reviewed data related to drug possession cases, arguing that such cases "are hampering our ability to administer justice for the people of the city of St. Louis." Going forward, all cases of marijuana possession where the amount of the drug is less than 100 grams will be dismissed as long as there are no "aggravating circumstances," Gardner said.

Other cases of low-level drug possession will also be reviewed and may be dismissed if the offender has no criminal history.

Some police representatives were upset at Gardner's decision, saying that 100 grams is an amount greater than casual users usually possess. They worry it will hamper their ability to prosecute drug dealers.

"[Gardner] has a duty to prosecute felonies, and she's choosing not to fulfill that duty," Jeff Roorda, business manager for the St. Louis Police Officers Association, told the Post-Dispatch.

But supporters of Gardner's decision point to shifting national attitudes toward marijuana use, and argue that minor drug crimes are prosecuted disproportionately against African Americans, even though rates of usages are about the same between black and white Americans.

Earlier this year, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen reduced the fine for the possession of small amounts of marijuana to just $25, and several groups have raised enough signatures to put Marijuana legalization on the November ballot. A bill to legalize medical marijuana passed the Missouri House in April and would allow patients with terminal diseases to legally use the drug, as well as those living with post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy and Alzheimer's.

Read more from the Post-Dispatch.

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