It seems draft ordinance on cannabis consumption a little light on consistency
Certain members of the Minnesota Legislature no doubt thought they crafted a piece of historic legislation earlier this year when they legalized the recreational use of cannabis. They did not.
What they created was a piece of legislation that needs plenty of tweaking when lawmakers return to St. Paul. Not only did the new state law leave law enforcement without guidance on how to determine when a driver is under the influence of cannabis and therefore should not be driving, they told cities to craft their own ordinances on where a person may, or may not, enjoy cannabis in any of its forms.
Like it or not, the legislature legalized the use of cannabis.
The city’s draft ordinance includes prohibitions on cannabis and tobacco use in city parks. It is a bit light on consistency and the recognition of the main difference between cannabis and alcohol: social acceptance.
A person has three or four beers at a bar, over dinner or at a ballgame in the park and its no big deal. Someone fires up a one-hit pipe or a joint in the park and the mayor suggested the person could end up in jail. He was promptly corrected by the police chief. Violating the proposed ordinance is a mere petty misdemeanor.
Currently, a person may consume an alcoholic beverage in a city park, as long as they are not in the playground areas. The exclusions would be kegs and glass containers are not allowed. Under the proposed ordinance, a person may not consume cannabis in any form in a city park.
Starting Aug. 1, a person may consume cannabis in any form in a city park and in public rights-of-way (streets, sidewalks, etc.). Under the proposed ordinance, a person may not consume cannabis in any form in a city park, facility, or in public rights-of-way (streets, sidewalks, etc). This includes the golf course. Under the proposed ordinance, cannabis will not be allowed in any form at the golf course.
However, the city will be happy to sell you beer at the course. Unless otherwise posted at the golf course, there are no ordinances that say you may not consume alcohol or smoke tobacco. This is unchanged.
The Minnesota House passed the bill 71-59 with two GOP reps crossing the aisle. The state Senate passed it 34-33 on a party-line vote. The legislature was anything but clear on its desire Minnesotans wanted cannabis legalized for recreational use.
Remember, these predictable party-line votes for the most part came after pollsters found a solid majority of Minnesotans supported the notion of legalizing use of cannabis for recreational use.
Naturally, the devil is always in the details. Last fall at the state fair, a House of Representatives poll found over 61 percent favored the idea. When asked, “Do you think Minnesota should or should not legalize marijuana for recreational use?” An MPR/Star Tribune/KARE 11 poll last fall found of the 800 people surveyed, 53 percent of the folks polled like the idea and 36 percent opposed the idea.
It seems the city council accepted the legalization but there is no interest in making it as easy to enjoy as alcohol. About 29 percent of GOP voters surveyed support legalization. Not surprisingly, support for legalization was tepid, at best, in people who identified themselves as being from metro counties besides Hennepin and Ramsey. More to the point, 70 percent of the support for legalization indicated in the survey came from DFLers while only 65 percent of the opposition came from Republicans.