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Mini Poll: A Civil Conversation?
 A member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen has begun discussing a proposal likely to catch the attention of the region. The member (no gender hint here) is considering a new municipal ordinance that would make the possession of a small amount of marijuana a summary offense (a relatively minor criminal charge) or even decriminalize it, making violators subject to fines, not jail time. The change, which would require the cooperation of the St. Louis circuit attorney and the city counselor, would be aimed at freeing up the court dockets of the most minor of drug cases in the City of St. Louis, emptying out jail cells now holding some drug offenders awaiting jury trials, and refocusing the attention of law enforcers on more serious drug offenses.
This proposal may not be a radical one. Although some jurisdictions have completely decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, requiring offenders to surrender their stashes and pay the equivalent of parking fines, others, like Philadelphia, have made the possession of 30 grams (a little more than an ounce) or less of marijuana subject to civil summary charges, with fines in the $200 to $300 range. Violators in the City of Brotherly Love will still be arrested, handcuffed, searched, detained and fingerprinted, but they will be referred to municipal nuisance-type courts (the same sorts of courts to which unruly Phillies and Eagles fans are sent).
It is not clear if the St. Louis local legislator's proposal will reach the stage of a board bill anytime soon or if the Board of Alderman (or local prosecutors and police officials) will support it, but MayorSlay.com is willing to put the matter before its readers to collect your opinions. Before you complain that the results of an unscientific poll conducted on the Internet are neither fully representative nor usefully predictive, please be assured that we know that. These weekly polls do not set policy. They simply spark your civic discussion. Dude.
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