OHIO, USA —
A nice summer day will bring people out to the patios of bars in downtown Toledo, but patrons won't be able to enjoy any recreational marijuana while there.
"Our policy has been no marijuana even though it's been recreationally legal at this point," owner of Wesley's Bar Micah Risher said.
Other downtown Toledo restaurants and bars have similar policies.
"Even on our patio where we do have smoking here at Focaccia's and my other place The Blarney, there's no marijuana smoking allowed," owner Ed Beczynski said.
Marijuana use is prohibited in liquor permit premises, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. Marijuana is still considered a controlled substance.
The Department of Commerce released a statement saying the liquor permit holder, or bar owner, could receive a citation similar to one if the drug use was happening inside the bar if someone was smoking marijuana outside.
Issue 2, which passed in November, said someone who uses recreational cannabis in a public area can be charged with a minor misdemeanor.
Although recreational sales just started Tuesday, Risher said there has been a plan since marijuana was decriminalized.
"Exposure to marijuana is something we're quite familiar with and we have done a really good job of just really telling people, 'You must go outside,'" Risher said. "You must be off the property. You cannot be inside the bar. Honestly, after the first several months of that, it became easier."
Risher said there are signs posted telling people no marijuana in the bar or the patio at Wesley's Bar. Beczynski said there has not been a need to put any additional reminders up yet.
"We were going to put signs up and if we need to, we will, but the staff knows and we'll kind of go from there," Beczynski said.
When it comes to serving alcohol to someone who may have either smoked or ingested marijuana beforehand, the bars are using the same standard for serving people.
"If somebody's drunk, we don't serve people," Beczynski said. "There's really no difference. If we notice somebody is on drugs and they can't even function, they're not going to be served."
Risher said it's a concern that existed before the legalization of marijuana.
"It's no way to tell it's marijuana or another drug or perhaps a prescription medication," Risher said.
For right now though, both bar owners expect things will stay the same.