According to NORML, Missouri treats possession of up to 35 grams of pot a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1000.
However, obviously judges in Missouri aren’t locking up every last person in their state to get caught with a j in their pocket, else their jails would be full to bursting. And of course, there are other factors to consider too: obviously a thug-looking black man in St. Louis caught with pot is going to be in considerably more trouble than a square white dude caught with pot in the suburbs (I assume).
Can any Missouri Dopers (heh) weight in on this topic? Is the Missouri legal system pretty zealous in enforcing its pot laws? Or are you likely to get off with a small fine if you’re white, don’t mouth the cop, and don’t have any priors?
I don’t think the state has much do do with it. Local police and prosecutors have wide latitude to enforce any laws according to their local standards. The state can only set maximum penalties that judges are permitted to impose, and how they are applied is up to local administrators of justice.
Here in Texas, my pot smoking friends in this town say the police very likely will ignore even obvious evidence of pot, when making a routine traffic stop or other encounter. I would suspect local standards would vary in Missouri, as well. But I certainly wouldn’t mess with cops in little towns in northwest Missouri.
Missouri is the #3 meth producer in the U.S. (we used to be #1) and Interstate 44 is a key route for drugs coming from Mexico. While it’s likely most prosecutors won’t care too much about being caught with a single joint, you can be sure the cop who actually catches you is going to tear your car, hotel room or buddy’s apartment apartment apart to see what else you have.
Actually, Tarkio (and Rock Port) were a couple of places I had in mind. Carrollton was still a *de facto * Sundown Town last time I was there, but that’s been about 30 years now.
Doniphan County, Kansas (on the state line) used to get much of their revenue by confiscating cars from people who stopped to harvest a trunk-ful of marijuana growing wild along the roadside.