LAKE OZARK, Mo. — If you smell a skunk in Lake Ozark… it’s probably just a skunk, if a new ordinance clears the city board this month.
Technically state law already bans the public smoking of marijuana, but this week the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen is set to vote on a first reading of an ordinance that would enact the same ban within city ordinance. The board will vote on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at their normal 5:30 p.m. meeting.
Lake Ozark Police Chief James Boren emphasized crowd-control is always a challenge for LOPD during busy summer nights — as can be seen in the TV series Ozark Law. He said when marijuana is involved, it tends to make his officers’ jobs even more difficult. “We want to try and get a handle on it before it gets out of control,” he said, adding the city ordinance would simply mirror the state law that is already on the books.
In the ordinance, a “Public Place means any location to which the general public has access, including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, alleys, parks, public parking lots, public buildings, and the publicly accessible portions of businesses and establishments.”
This would simply “give us an option to enforce with local ordinance,” Boren said — in other words, writing a citation rather than filing charges.
The ordinance would create a fine of up to $100 for public marijuana smoking.
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