Athens City Council met Monday evening to discuss recreational marijuana use on public properties, including the parks around the City of Athens.
The city already outlaws the use of tobacco in parks, but amending this would add that people are not permitted to use any sort of marijuana product, which may include inhaling, exhaling, burning, edibles, liquid vapes and other lighted smoking devices, papers or devices used for marijuana.
Some council members shared their thoughts on how it may be difficult to regulate the use of edible marijuana – a cannabis-infused food people eat to feel the effects of marijuana.
Councilmember Micah McCarey, D-At Large, said he would take these concerns to Lisa Elison, Athens law director, to discuss the council’s issues with including edibles in the amendment.
“I believe that the spirit of this is to … really just talk about what we’d do and don’t want at the parks,” he said.
Following, Councilmember Solveig Spjeldnes, D-1st Ward, said the design for the Columbus Road shared-use path project needs to start now. The project will create a path for pedestrians and bikers along Columbus Road. It will start approximately at the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway Spur to Theater Lane.
Andy Stone, service-safety director, said the project is seeking $160,000 for design services. With enough funding, he said, the city wants to add a sidewalk to the other side of the road.
However, since Columbus Road was previously a state highway, Stone said, there are some challenges in making the design less like a highway and more like a city street.
He said there are two phases to the Columbus Road project, and the goal of this is to make the shoulder wider for cyclists and the road more accessible for people.
“There is going to be a demand,” Stone said. “We're going to see some changes on Columbus Road and we want to get ahead of it.”
Spjeldnes said the construction on Columbus Road will start in 2025.
