KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted Thursday to eliminate municipal charges for the possession or control of marijuana.
The ordinance, which passed 9-4, only applies to the part of KCMO in Jackson County.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said 90% of the municipal tickets written for marijuana are issued in Jackson County, while prosecutors in Platte and Clay counties, which also includes parts of KCMO, told Lucas this week it's unlikely first offenders would face a heavy fine.
Black people have been four times more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than whites, according to a fact sheet provided to the city council, and a drug conviction can be an impediment to employment.
