The Detroit City Council will likely consider restricting marijuana ads in the city.

Council Member Angela Whitfield Calloway is leading proposed changes to the city code that would ban marijuana advertisements within 1,000 feet of locations of “sensitive properties” that “could impact” children.

Properties include schools, daycares, juvenile detention or correctional facilities, libraries, parks, sports fields, playgrounds, recreation centers and more. The ordinance would follow the same rules as alcohol and tobacco advertisements.

Whitfield Calloway told the Free Press in a statement that she was motivated by concerns about children’s health.

“Earlier this year, Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti expressed concerns about the proliferation of marijuana in schools, which was exacerbated by the legalization of marijuana in Michigan in 2018” , indicates the press release. “Between 2021 and 2023, more than 1,700 incidents and hospitalizations were reported due to marijuana use in DPSCD. This includes students as young as primary school age. Not only is this traumatic for everyone involved, it greatly disrupts the learning process.

“Oversaturation” of Marijuana Billboards Normalizes “Harmful Behavior”

“As chair of the Youth and Civic Engagement Task Force and a lifelong educator, I take seriously my responsibility to address and prevent substance use among children,” she said, adding : “We live in a new reality where marijuana is widely accepted and more prevalent in everyday life. The fact remains that marijuana has no place in our schools. »

She said her proposal to mirror restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising aims to “reduce the subconscious exposure that contributes to the normalization of these harmful behaviors.” The oversaturation of these ads has fostered a mentality that “everyone is doing it, so it doesn’t have to be.” harmful.’ “

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Whitfield Calloway’s office told the Free Press that the proposed ordinance would be placed on the agenda for next Tuesday’s formal session to be referred to the committee. It’s unclear when the city council is expected to take the vote.

If a new property deemed sensitive is developed within 1,000 feet of an existing listing, businesses will have 60 days to remove it.

Any person found guilty of violating the order, if approved, will be subject to a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $500 and imprisoned up to $90 days.

A child’s comment to the board

The provisions would not apply to advertisements adjacent to highways, which are regulated by the Michigan Highway Advertising Act of 1972, as well as signs in convention centers, sports arenas or stadiums, according to the draft proposal.

At a city council meeting in May, a young boy, alongside his grandmother, raised concerns during public comment about how often he sees the ads when he visits the city .

“I worry that kids will see this one day and they’ll be interested in it, and it’s free. And then they’ll get addicted to it,” he said.

Whitfield Calloway, at that meeting, asked the city’s legislative policy division to determine whether the city had the right to limit the number of billboards posted in Detroit.

“It’s unacceptable at this point. It’s taking over our city. You can’t drive down the street. You can’t drive down the highway without seeing this cannabis business,” Whitfield Calloway said during the May meeting. “I’m not trying to interfere with anyone’s rights.”

Dana Afana is the Detroit City Hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: [email protected]. Follow it: @DanaAfana.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council Proposes Restrictions on Marijuana Billboards.