Legalized pot is coming whether we like it or not, but both the mayor and a city councilor are open to the idea of doublingthe fine for puffing in public.
Right now you can be hit with a $100 ticket for smoking a cigarette in the Common. The same fine will hold for weed.
How can law enforcement treat a public pot head with the same penalty as someone smoking a butt? This rule doesn’t change under the new marijuana law. Yet, it’s pretty safe to say as pot shops start opening, brace for red eyes and dizziness.
Politicians need to start drafting a bill now to protect our streets. Pot and cigarettes should not be treated the same. The city should hike the fine for smoking weed in public to $200.
Mayor Marty Walsh said he isn’t ruling that out. “We are continuing to evaluate the impacts of recreational marijuana in Boston and fines and fees, among other issues, are part of the larger conversation,” he said.
City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George said she has noticed an uptick in public pot smoking since the ballot question passed last month. As a fellow mom, she said she’d “entertain the idea” of hiking the fine for smoking weed in the open.
“We should have a conversation about it whether an increase in the fines is useful and we have the legal authority to do it,” she told me.
The clock is ticking. Come Thursday, if you are 21 years old you can possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana inside your home and up to one ounce outside. Smoking is still not allowed in the same places tobacco is banned.
Not only should councilors increase fines, but also better educate the public with signage around the city explaining the potlaws.
Essaibi George agrees that the city needs to launch an educational campaign. “We need to remind residents and visitors of the reality of the law,” she said. “We need to do a better job at educating residents on what is legal and what is acceptable.”
Toking in all our faces is not acceptable — and it should cost you dearly.
Jaclyn Cashman co-hosts “Morning Meeting” from 9 a.m. to noon on Boston Herald Radio. Follow her on Twitter @JaclynCashman.
