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Mar 27, 2023Carlton County health officials seek to limit public cannabis, vaporizer use - Cloquet Pine Journal | News, weather, sports from Cloquet Minnesota
Oct 22, 2024CARLTON — After the state of Minnesota passed legislation that prohibited people from smoking tobacco in certain public places in 2007, Carlton County Public Health officials are now seeking to apply those same prohibitions to cannabis and vaporizers.
“This is really just like, you can't smoke on a patio. You can't vape on a patio. You can't smoke weed on a patio now,” Meghann Levitt, a public health specialist for the county, told the Carlton County Board of Commissioners.
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The proposed ordinance seeks to update language to the county’s existing smoke-free ordinance to include smoking cannabis, vaporizing and consuming non-smokable cannabis and hemp products. The county adopted the initial ordinance in 2007 after the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act was passed, which placed limitations on where tobacco can be smoked in public places.
Before the proposed ordinance can take effect, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners will bring it to a vote. To gauge sentiment on the issue, the board will hold a public hearing during its meeting that starts at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28.
Similar to rules about smoking tobacco, the ordinance would prohibit people from smoking cannabis, vaping or consuming THC products within 25 feet from doors, windows and ventilation areas of indoor workplaces, bars, restaurants and other public places.
The proposed ordinance would also restrict the consumption of non-smokable cannabis and hemp-derived products — like beverages and edibles — in public places.
THC beverages and edibles could still be served at public events. However, organizers would have to apply for permits similar to if they were to serve alcohol.
The ordinance would not prohibit bars and restaurants from serving THC beverages to customers.
The ordinance also aims to shield minors from accessing or being exposed to cannabis and vaporizers by banning smoking and vaping from anywhere it could be inhaled by a minor.
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The language in the ordinance follows recommendations from the Association of Minnesota Counties, a statewide organization that assists counties with policy, Levitt said.
Carlton County Public Health is doing outreach to local business owners about how the proposed ordinance may impact their business.
“It's really not that large of a change. It's just putting everything in alignment that can be vaporized, smoked, and access to safe health,” said Joanne Erspamer, a public health supervisor for Carlton County. “The focus is kind of that youth use.”
If passed, a violation of the ordinance would carry the same penalty that currently applies to tobacco: a petty misdemeanor with a fine of up to $300. Sheriff Kelly Lake agreed to direct the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office to enforce the proposed policy after a discussion with public health officials, Levitt said.
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