Champaign, IL Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

5-12 of the Champaign Municipal Code, adopted by City Council Bill No. " The other banned locations are a school bus (unless a qualifying patient or caregiver under the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act is exempt), the grounds of any preschool or primary or secondary school (same medical exception for cardholders), any correctional facility, and a private residence used at any time to provide licensed child care or other social service care. Subsection (a)(6) separately forbids knowingly using cannabis in close physical proximity to anyone under 21 who is not a registered qualifying patient, extending the reach of the ban beyond strictly public settings.

Subsection (b) layers on a second prohibition: no person may smoke cannabis anywhere smoking is already prohibited under the Illinois Smoke Free Illinois Act, which independently covers most enclosed public places and many outdoor areas near entrances. The chapter's own definitions section, Sec. 19, defines "public place" broadly as "any place where a person could reasonably be expected to be observed by others," including all government-owned or leased buildings and all park, recreation, wildlife, or playground areas owned or managed by the state or a local government, while carving out private residences unless they house licensed child care or similar social services.

Champaign adopted the state Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act by reference in Sec. 5-2, and where the Act preempts home rule authority the state law controls; where it does not, the city's own chapter controls. Violating Sec. 5-12 is treated the same as any other cannabis chapter offense: it is an absolute liability offense under Sec. 5-21, meaning no showing of intent is required unless the section itself specifies one.