1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I strongly urge you to oppose and vote "No" on SB1187 (Coleman). This bill seeks to create a new class B misdemeanor for the “consumption of marijuana in a public space,” a move that represents a regressive step backward in criminal justice reform and will cause direct harm to Missouri’s most vulnerable communities. We must work to reduce the carceral state, not expand it. Missouri voters made their will clear when they passed Article XIV, legalizing adult-use marijuana. That decision was rooted in a recognition that the war on drugs was a failure, one that disproportionately targeted Black and brown Missourians, saddled them with criminal records, and disrupted families for victimless behavior. SB1187 breathes new life into that failed approach by creating a new, low-level criminal offense. Even a class B misdemeanor carries the potential for jail time, fines, and a permanent record. This will inevitably lead to the same racially biased enforcement patterns we fought to dismantle, as public space laws are historically enforced with discrimination against unhoused individuals, young people, and people of color. The definition of “public space” in this bill is dangerously broad. It includes not only parks and streets but also “any other physical asset owned, leased, or controlled by this state or any agency or political subdivision thereof.” This language could criminalize individuals on a vast array of public grounds, including the grounds of public housing, public university campuses, and municipal parking lots. It creates a trap for renters and those without private outdoor space, who do not have the same ability to consume in a private backyard as a homeowner does. This bill effectively criminalizes poverty and housing status. There is also a fundamental inconsistency in this approach. Article XIV already contemplates local control over consumption in public spaces and allows for the licensing of designated consumption areas. Rather than creating a new punitive misdemeanor, the state should respect the constitutional framework voters approved. If there are legitimate concerns about public consumption, they should be addressed through administrative regulation and education, not by arming law enforcement with another tool for arrest and fine collection. Creating new drug offenses undermines the goal of repairing the harm caused by prohibition. We should be investing in restorative approaches, harm reduction, and community well-being, not expanding the criminal legal system. For these reasons, I urge you to oppose SB 1187. Do not roll back the progress Missouri voters demanded.