Citing the strong smell of weed invading the great outdoors, two Republicans in the state Legislature are calling for a ban on smoking and consuming cannabis in public places around New York state, according to a report by Spectrum News 1.
State Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Michael Novakhov are backing the measure, which would allow governments to put local laws in place to ban the public consumption of marijuana, the report said.
Republicans also are proposing fines of up to $125 for consuming marijuana in public.
“State residents, including children, are now regularly assailed with the pungent odor of marijuana on public sidewalks, in parking lots and other public spaces,” Borrello said. “Many New Yorkers don’t want to be exposed to either the effects of marijuana smoke or its smell and don’t want their children subjected to it.”
New York legalized cannabis in 2021, but the Clean Air Act and local bans on smoking already place limits on marijuana smoking in public.
But Borrello argued that the use of marijuana in public goes beyond the tobacco comparison, according to the report.
“There is a world of difference between tobacco consumption and marijuana use, which is why it is inappropriate to apply the same public usage rules,” he said. “Marijuana has THC, a potent psychoactive drug that causes a ‘high’ and can result in cognitive and motor impairment, similar to alcohol. Individuals in this condition, on sidewalks or other public places,…
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