Council also to consider budget, other business Belgrade city officials will hold a public hearing Tuesday a proposal to ban public use of medical marijuana in the city limits, according to city officials. The ordinance came at the request of Belgrade Chief of Police E.J. Clark. It unanimously passed a first reading in August. The ordinance was patterned after an open container law already on the books, Clark and others have said. The ordinance derives its authority from the federal Controlled Substance Act. City officials said it is needed, "because the inadvertent direct and indirect exposure to marijuana has the potential to significantly affect the health, legal and financial interests of the citizens of Belgrade." [continues 421 words]
In light of heightened medical marijuana usage, the Belgrade School Board is working on a policy that likely will ban the drug from school property, trustees said Monday. The district already has a strict "zero tolerance" policy for prescription drugs that students to check in all prescriptions with the school secretaries, Trustee Peggy Lucas said. The policy applies even to over-the-counter medication and restricts students from having prescription drugs in their cars. The board has not decided the issue, but trustees are leaning toward banning medical marijuana entirely, board member Peter Morgan said. [continues 307 words]
Belgrade OKs First Reading Of Ordinance; Sets Public Hearing For Sept. 7 With no fanfare Monday, the Belgrade City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that would ban public use of medical marijuana. The ordinance was written at the request of the Belgrade Police Department, City Manager Joe Menicucci said. Chief of Police E.J. Clark did not attend Monday's meeting, but has said the goal of the ordinance is to keep use of marijuana out of public areas and in private homes. [continues 197 words]
Restrictions Include City Inspections, Ban on Public Use of Marijuana The draft of a Bozeman city ordinance released Thursday regulating medical marijuana calls for continuing a 1,000-foot buffer between schools and cannabis shops, city inspections of shops and a ban on public use of the drug, among other things. The ordinance was crafted by city officials over the past three and a half months with input from medical marijuana providers, police, school officials and other stakeholders. Under the proposal, it would be a misdemeanor for patients to smoke medical marijuana in "an open or visible manner," City Attorney Greg Sullivan said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. The offense could result in a $500 fine and up to 6 months in jail. [continues 1150 words]
