Section 10 Changes to Specific Drug-Related Offenses

• Library: Missouri Criminal Practice Revision - Drug and Alcohol Offenses 2014

This chapter details modifications to specific drug-related offenses that are codified in Chapter 579, RSMo, Controlled Substance Offenses. The penalties for many of these offenses were lowered, in part, and some of the offenses were combined into one statute, while others were divided into multiple statutes. During testimony in front of the Joint Interim Committee on the Missouri Criminal Code, members of The Missouri Bar Criminal Code Review Subcommittee of The Missouri Bar Criminal Law Committee testified that the lowering of the penalties for several drug-related offenses was an attempt to make the punishment fit the crime, noting that involuntary manslaughter is a class C felony and so is drug possession under the Original Code. In addition, there was testimony regarding the fact that first-time marijuana possession cases are almost always disposed of with a fine and that the current penalty structure does not reflect the reality of how the crimes are being punished. See Table 3.1 below for a list of drug-related crimes that have reduced penalties under the Revised Code. Also, see §21 below for penalty enhancements for certain repeat offenders, which were also lowered.

Table 3.1

Offenses With Changed Penalties
Statute	Offense	Original Code Penalty	Revised Code Penalty

...