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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, September 11, 2023 <br /> Page 2 <br /> Nays: None. <br /> b. Discussion About the Use of Cannabis and Hemp in Public Places <br /> City Manager Patrick Trudgeon briefly highlighted this item as detailed in the <br /> Request for Council Action and related attachments dated September 11, 2023. <br /> City Attorney Tierney addressed the Council and explained she was available to <br /> answer questions. <br /> Mayor Roe noted the City does have an ordinance that prohibits the consumption <br /> of alcohol in City parks and is a part of the equation if thinking about controlled <br /> substance use. <br /> Councilmember Etten thought the racial equity toolkit is a really good idea but he <br /> would also prefer to pass something now for some certain areas where the council <br /> might come to a common agreement on for now and then engage the public over a <br /> longer period of time rather than leave several months of continued gray area. For <br /> him, when he looked at this language, the piece that he is concerned with is City <br /> parks and the City Hall campus,the broader campus surrounding them as areas that <br /> have much more frequent family use and other things like that. <br /> Councilmember Etten explained one of the specific areas targeted in the State <br /> language is not having it around youth and he thought it was hard to separate <br /> different areas within the City Hall campus. He would be looking at something <br /> along the lines of the third bullet point as a starting point. He would add to the <br /> language"All City parks,parking lots adjacent to parks and trails within City parks, <br /> and on the main City Hall Campus including the City Hall, Fire Station, <br /> Maintenance Facility, Skating Center,and adjacent parking lots." He explained for <br /> him, those are areas that the City knows have lots of kids, it fits with the language <br /> of the State Statute, and gives room for now for other considerations in the future <br /> but targets these high youth areas and high public use areas. <br /> Councilmember Strahan concurred with much of what Councilmember Etten <br /> mentioned as it is similar to her feelings on this at this point. Obviously, things <br /> may be subject to change with clarification based on the State, but she would like <br /> to make sure that it is added"all smoked products"into that and not just Cannabis, <br /> just so that it is not a matter of distinction on someone's part determining what is <br /> being smoked. She saw that there was language about ingestion, and she did not <br /> know if that was even enforceable, or applicable in this situation. She felt more <br /> strongly about the smoked product because it was going to be something that would <br /> impact the people surrounding it. <br /> Councilmember Groff agreed with the comments and is very interested in the racial <br /> equity aspect since the State law was brought up because of equality and racial <br /> issues. He wants to be very careful that what the Council is doing is not backwards <br />