Publicly consuming marijuana could result in jail time under a new bill.
Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s (R-Arnold) proposed legislation classifies public marijuana use as a level B misdemeanor, for which state law allows fines of up to $1,000 or up to 6 months of jail time.
Coleman said the bill came out of a desire to reduce the impacts of marijuana smoke on children.
“There’s hardly anywhere you can go that you are not exposed to second-hand smoke since the legalization of marijuana in the state of Missouri,” she said.
Coleman believes publicly using marijuana should have the same consequences as public intoxication, which is also classified as a level B misdemeanor.
Increasing penalties for drug use has long been believed to disproportionately effect people of color. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, despite White and Black Americans using marijuana at roughly the same rates, Black people are almost four times more likely to be arrested.
