ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to repeal city ordinances that make it illegal to possess small amounts of marijuana.
In addition to repealing city ordinances, the bill would bar police from enforcing state and federal laws against possession of small amounts or of marijuana paraphernalia, with certain exceptions. Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a statement that she would sign it as soon as it reached her desk.
“Let me be clear: Incarcerating people for marijuana-related, low-level offenses does not make our neighborhoods safer,” Jones said. “Needless contact with the prison system harms families and communities across our city.”
Jones said the bill removed an unjust and discriminatory policy. She said that nearly 600 people had been arrested in St. Louis on marijuana charges in the past three years and that nearly 500 of them were Black.
