Kent County, MI Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- No possession/use, incl. marijuana
- Prosecuted under
- Michigan Public Health Code MCL 333.7401 et seq.
- Enhanced penalty
- Delivery to minor within 1,000 ft of park
- Enforcement
- Kent County Sheriff's Department
- Governing section
- Parks Ordinance Section 30(a)-(c)
Summary
Possessing, delivering or using marijuana or any other controlled substance anywhere in a Kent County park is unlawful under the county's Parks Ordinance, which defines controlled substances by reference to Michigan's drug schedules that include marijuana. Violations are prosecuted under state law, including enhanced penalties when a substance is delivered to a minor in or near a park.
It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, deliver, or use any controlled substance within a County park. All violations of this Section shall be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan including, but not limited to, MCL §§333.7401-7401b, 7402, 7403, 7404.
Full Breakdown
Section 30(a) of the Kent County Parks Ordinance provides: 'It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, deliver, or use any controlled substance within a County park. 7211-7220, the schedule that lists marijuana, so smoking, vaping or otherwise using marijuana in a county park falls within this ban even though Michigan's Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act allows adult possession elsewhere. 7410a. Section 30(c) separately bans possessing or selling drug paraphernalia 'designed to contain, conceal, inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body a controlled substance,' language the ordinance's definitions section elsewhere illustrates with pipes, bongs, roach clips and similar items.
Under the ordinance's own enforcement schedule, Section 30(a) and 30(b) violations are prosecuted under state drug law rather than as a county misdemeanor or civil infraction, while the Kent County Sheriff's Department still patrols and enforces the parks under Section 36.
Violations & Fines
Section 37(c) routes Sections 30(a) and 30(b) to prosecution 'in accordance with applicable local or County ordinance or applicable laws of the State of Michigan' rather than the ordinance's own misdemeanor or civil-infraction fine schedule, meaning a marijuana or controlled-substance violation in a Kent County park is charged under the Michigan Public Health Code sections cited in Section 30, up to and including the deliver-to-a-minor enhancement in MCL §333.7410a.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke marijuana in a Kent County park since it's legal in Michigan?
What law applies if I'm caught with marijuana in a park?
Is there a harsher penalty for giving drugs to a minor in a park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent County
Compare Kent County to another location·View the Michigan public conduct overview
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