What’s the difference between popping a cannabis edible or smoking marijuana from a gravity bong?
When it comes to what’s permitted on public property, this exact policy question was among several considered by the Brainerd Parks and Recreation Board during its Tuesday, July 25, meeting. The conversation comes ahead of the Aug. 1 statewide legalization of recreational cannabis use.
“The edible side, I mean, we really can't enforce it,” said board member Johnathan Miller. “So I mean, why is it included in the ordinance? You know, we're talking about nuisance for people around you. So I mean, why are we putting restrictions on edibles and things of that nature inside of the ordinance?”
Brainerd Mayor Dave Badeaux said he generally supports people’s individual decisions to use marijuana. A recent experience with his young children during the Fourth of July, however, led him to reassess his feelings on smoking cannabis in public.
“Marijuana, when it is being smoked — there is a thickness to it, let’s say, right?” Badeaux said. “ … I will say, as a parent, it was off-putting, you know, and I — that was the first time that I had ever thought about, ‘OK, well, this is the reality, then, that we will be dealing with.’”
He said he felt there was a difference, however, between eating a gummy or brownie and lighting up a “gravity bong,” which is a smoking device used for marijuana.
“I don’t know what those are,” said board member Troy Rushmeyer.
“That’s a ‘90s thing,” the mayor responded in one of several humorous exchanges during the meeting.
Rushmeyer earlier said he started to feel hungry when someone in Brainerd's Kiwanis Park smoked marijuana near him.
Brainerd members leaned toward banning smoking marijuana while allowing other forms of cannabis use in city parks — although the decision is ultimately up to the city council. This differs from the ordinance in Detroit Lakes, provided to members ahead of the meeting, which bans all forms of cannabis use in public spaces.
Local governments and various other agencies across Minnesota are grappling with how to respond to the law change. Some already have ordinances in place in need of refinement, while others are having those conversations for the first time.
Next door to Brainerd in the city of Baxter, park policy is quite different. While cigarette smoking and drinking are both allowed in Brainerd parks, substance use in all forms is banned in Baxter. This includes drinking, tobacco products and smoking of any kind — although technically, the ordinance only references the slang term “weed” when it comes to marijuana or cannabis.
“We know legally (‘weed’) is slang for the use of and inhaling of cannabis, so we know that the smoking of it is covered,” said Brad Chapulis, Baxter city administrator. “What we’re trying to do is strengthen the language in our codes to try and address the variable products that have been allowed under state law.”
The Walker City Council began discussions on marijuana use in public spaces July 10, with more details expected at its next meeting on Monday, Aug. 7.
The Bemidji City Council also began the conversation July 17, with a public input session scheduled Aug. 28 for two questions: whether the city should apply for a municipal recreational dispensary; and if successful, where it should be placed. Bemidji already operates municipal liquor stores, and the new law legalizing recreational marijuana provides cities the opportunity to operate dispensaries, too.
Marshall Helmberger of The Timberjay reported the Cook City Council is also considering a municipal dispensary and discussed the matter during a recent meeting.
In Grand Rapids, there’s no ordinance on the books addressing cannabis use in public spaces and the matter hasn’t yet appeared on a city council agenda.
Now for a discussion for a Date for public input on like, recreational cannabis man. pic.twitter.com/HqJ3RxZDwW
— Larissa Donovan (@larissa_donovan) July 17, 2023
It isn’t yet clear what the expectations are for visitors to state parks. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has not created a policy, according to an email from DNR Deputy Parks Director Phil Leversedge.
“Minnesota DNR is working to fully understand and interpret how the new law regarding cannabis use in public places relates to public lands like Minnesota’s state parks,” the statement read. “We will provide information for our visitors on this topic when we have more details.”
Officials with the U.S. Forest Service confirmed the possession or use of any controlled substance, including marijuana, remains unlawful on federal forest lands.
“It has always been illegal to use or possess marijuana on Forest lands,” said Michael Stearly, public affairs specialist with the Chippewa National Forest.
Meanwhile, the Red Lake Tribal Council announced earlier this month that the NativeCare dispensary, located on Highway 1 in Red Lake, would open for recreational business the first day of legalization for adults on Aug. 1.
The legislation acknowledges tribal sovereignty to regulate the sales of cannabis within reservations.
NativeCare opened to the public in April as a medical cannabis dispensary.
