SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – City council approved new rules for where marijuana users may smoke in Springfield.
Marijuana smokers in public could face a $100 civil penalty or community service instead. Police will be enforcing this proposed ordinance:
“The city prohibits marijuana smoke or odor from emanating from a nonpublic location into a public place and the consumption of marijuana in a public place or any vehicle parked in a public place.”
”It sounds like city council is really trying to rake it in and get their cut,” said Donald Kalebaugh, who lives in Springfield. “4/20 is coming up, and I want to smoke outside.”
”A lot of people find the odor somewhat offensive, so we passed the ordinance to prevent the consumption of marijuana out in public places,” said Councilman Abe Mcgull. “We pattern our legislation after Jefferson City’s, and this is somewhat new, and unlike cigarettes, marijuana has sort of a mind-altering effect.”
Mcgull says public areas include streets, highways, sidewalks, transportation facilities, parks, and the common areas of both public and private buildings. Some business owners support the new rules.
”I think from a public health standpoint, whether it’s cigarette smoke or marijuana smoke, the public needs to have a healthier environment to be a part of,” said Lyle Foster, a business owner.
Foster says getting an unwanted “secondhand high” is a concern.
”I’ve been in some cities where the weed smoke is so thick you can…
