Minnesota cities may ban public marijuana smoking as drug legalization approaches.
Minnesota Cities Consider Banning Public Marijuana Smoking Ahead of Legalization
Several Minnesota cities are considering taking action to ban smoking marijuana in public as the drug’s legalization approaches next month.
Starting August 1, recreational marijuana will become legal across Minnesota.
In the meantime, at least six cities, including Inver Grove Heights, Apple Valley, Prior Lake, Duluth, Rochester, and Lakeville, are contemplating the implementation of ordinances that would make it a petty misdemeanor to smoke marijuana in public places such as parks or sidewalks.
Lakeville Mayor Luke Hellier expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of people smoking pot downtown on the city’s recent growth. He stated, “We’re the seventh-largest city in the Twin Cities, the 30th fastest growing city in the country. So in my opinion, we’re doing something right.”
“The last thing I want is a nuisance of marijuana smoke or vaping in the downtown that could prevent people from wanting to come to these businesses,” he added.
The mayor of Lakeville emphasized that an ordinance prohibiting public marijuana smoking would be enforced based on resident complaints. He explained, “A business would have to file a complaint, call the city or the police department, say, ‘Hey, someone’s smoking outside of my restaurant or out front of my business, and it’s causing a nuisance,’ and so then, we would come and cite that person.”
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State Representative Zack Stephenson pointed out that the new state law grants cities the authority to decide whether they want to restrict marijuana smoking in public places. He drew a parallel between city ordinances banning public marijuana smoking and rules prohibiting public alcohol consumption.
According to a sponsor of the bill, the intentional lack of certain public smoking restrictions was a deliberate choice. State Senator Lindsey Port, who sponsored the legalization bill in the state Senate, stated, “We wanted to put as few restrictions on it as we could, understanding that cities could do more.”
Supporters of public marijuana smoking bans have highlighted the challenges that would arise without such bans. Jake Willenbring, an employee at a Lakeville CBD store, expressed his concerns, saying, “Nobody wants to have their kids at a park with a group of people smoking weed right next to you. I just don’t know how possible that would be to keep it respectful for everybody on a large scale.”
In Prior Lake, the city council has already voted to ban cannabis businesses and the use of marijuana in public, including smoking, vaping, and edibles. Using marijuana in public will be considered a petty misdemeanor in the city.
As of now, neither Minneapolis nor St. Paul has addressed the issue of smoking marijuana in public.
Minnesota’s new legal weed law will prohibit smoking inside the majority of public places and workplaces due to the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act, which was already in effect.
Recent years have witnessed the legalization of recreational marijuana in many states, including New York, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Montana.
New York City, for example, had anticipated generating $56 million in tax revenue from legal marijuana sales in its first year. However, the city is currently experiencing losses from underwhelming legal marijuana sales while the illegal market continues to thrive.
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