DETROIT – The Detroit City Council has unanimously approved a new ordinance that restricts the placement of advertisements for marijuana and vaping products near areas frequented by children, such as schools and playgrounds.
The ordinance, co-sponsored by Detroit City Councilmembers Scott Benson and Angela Whitfield-Calloway, prohibits advertisements for marijuana products and electronic nicotine delivery systems (vapes) within 1,000 feet of locations where children are present.
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These include childcare centers, child-caring institutions, parks, libraries, playgrounds, playlots, playing fields, recreation centers, and juvenile detention or correctional facilities.
Benson said that the ordinance was introduced in response to concerns from the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) about a significant increase in drug infractions in schools since recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan in 2019.
DPSCD reported that drug infractions rose from 289 in the 2019-20 school year to 1,735 in the last two years.
The new ordinance will take effect in the coming weeks once it’s published.
It was four years in the making, as councilmembers and legal staff worked to ensure it met U.S. Supreme Court standards for advertising and the First Amendment.
