Missouri pot activists may sue after Springfield re-criminalizes marijuana

Missouri drug reform activists told Raw Story on Tuesday that they’re looking to sue or trigger recall elections after city officials in Springfield voted Monday to re-criminalize marijuana, just one month after the same city council passed a citizen-driven initiative that would have kept small time pot offenders out of jail.

The council voted to decriminalize marijuana near the end of August after activists with the group Show-Me Cannabis Regulation received enough petition signatures to put their measure on the Election Day ballot.

“We put a measure before the city council by gather 2,101 petition signatures from Springfield residents,” John Payne, executive director of Show-Me Cannabis Regulation, told Raw Story on Tuesday. “The city council had two options: either pass the proposal without amendment or reject the proposal and send it to voters for an election. They passed it 6-3, but several members said at the time that they voted for the measure specifically to repeal it later.”

The council did exactly that on Monday night, voting 7-2 for repeal, according to The Associated Press. The ordinance did not have a chance to take effect. Council members said they were worried the ordinance would conflict with state law.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/25/missouri-pot-activists-may-sue-after-springfield-re-criminalizes-marijuana/