Columbia's relaxed laws on pot possession soon could extend to growing small amounts of marijuana.

At the end of Monday night's Columbia City Council meeting, Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe asked city staff to draft an ordinance setting a maximum penalty of $250 for growing up to six plants. Hoppe was responding to a request from attorney Dan Viets, a longtime advocate of eliminating penalties for marijuana.

Under state law, growing marijuana, no matter the amount, is a felony, with a minimum term of five years and a maximum penalty of life in prison if the offense takes place within 2,000 feet of a school or a school bus. Like Columbia's possession ordinance, the new proposal, if passed, would direct police to bring offenders before municipal court instead of filing state charges.

Viets, who made his pitch for the lower penalties during the public comment portion at the start of the meeting, was not there at the end when Hoppe acted on his proposal. He said he was surprised, but pleased, that the council was acting swiftly.

Hoppe said she thinks this effort could give police the chance to "focus on other issues."

One of Viets' main points was that people who grow their own pot will not be taking part in the illegal black market. That could have the effect of reducing drug-related violence, he said.

"It is valid to say that if there is less commercial activity in marijuana, there may be less violence related to commerce in cannabis," Viets said. "It is the money — not the marijuana — that is the root of the problem."