COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A local attorney’s attempt to decriminalize the cultivation of marijuana has been defeated by the Columbia City Council.
The City Council voted 4-3 Monday against approving a proposed ordinance that would have let residents grow up to two marijuana plants within city limits. Those who opposed the measure were concerned about creating a disconnect between state and federal law, which still punishes people for growing the plant.
Dan Viets, the local attorney who authored the proposal, tells the Columbia Daily Tribune he’s disappointed with the council’s vote.
Before the City Council took a final vote, one council member proposed an amendment that didn’t pass. It would have deleted words related to cultivating marijuana for non-medical use and left in sentences that relaxed penalties for growing the plants for medical use.