By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When Ohio voters approved changes last fall to Ohio’s marijuana laws, allowing for recreational use by adults, it didn’t give them a blank check. There are still instances where marijuana cannot be used.
The Ohio Revised Code section on the topic is poorly written, and the specifics of the law are still in development, according to Bowling Green City Attorney Hunter Brown.
But in order to prevent fines from marijuana violations from going straight to the state, Brown recommended to City Council on Monday evening that changes be made to the city code to mirror the state law and clarify local laws.
By doing this, Bowling Green will be able to cite violators and collect the fines locally.
“It’s important that we mirror the ORC,” Brown said.
The four changes recommended by Brown will be added to the city’s Clean Air Act, and clarify laws regarding uses of marijuana in the following instances:
- Smoking in public.
- Use indoors in a commercial setting.
- Use by minors, under 21.
- Use by passengers in a motor vehicle.
There are already laws in place prohibiting use of alcohol or drugs while driving, Brown said.
The changes also include the addition of definitions for the terms adult consumer, adult use cannabis and public places, language modifications to provide consistency for citations, removal of sections that prohibited possession to align with that which is allowed by the state, and amending the city’s Clean Air Act to prohibit smoking of marijuana in the same circumstances where tobacco is prohibited.
The ordinance received its first reading at Monday’s meeting.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, council:
- Heard updates about the city’s plans to manage the rush of visitors expected on April 8 for the total solar eclipse.
- Voted to change the zoning for 1.934 acres recently annexed to the city as part of the Abbott Laboratories project. The two parcels on North Dixie Highway and one parcel on Nims Road were changed to Innovation and Employment zoning, as is the rest of the Abbott property.
- Heard a resolution providing for a “Vision Zero Commitment” to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries that are the result of crashes on city streets of Bowling Green by 2045.
- Went into executive session to discuss preparations for collective bargaining with city employees. No action was taken when council members reconvened.
