DETROIT (WWJ) — If you’ve driven anywhere on a freeway in Detroit, chances are you’ve seen a billboard advertising cannabis; they’re everywhere.
There are too many of them. At least that’s what Detroit City Councilwoman Angela Whitfield Calloway says.
WWJ’s Charlie Langton reports Calloway has asked Detroit’s Law Department to draft an ordinance that would ban or restrict billboards advertising marijuana dispensaries.
Those in favor of the proposed law say, since weed is still illegal under federal law, cannabis is not eligible for constitutional protections.
“Despite Michigan allowing adult use of cannabis, weed still is illegal under federal law and that could be the reason why the billboards should be banned,” Langton said. “Otherwise the dispensaries say that they are unlawfully being targeted and that they have the right to free speech.”
Michiganders voted in 2018 to legalize recreational cannabis and state-licensed sales began in late 2019.
Langton says there is no timeline yet on when Detroit City Council will take up the issue.