Meriden, CT Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Meriden does not need a marijuana-specific park statute because its 2016 park smoking ordinance defines smoking broadly enough to cover it. Chapter 151, Article I, Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products, adopted by the City Council on May 2, 2016, defines SMOKING in § 151-1 as inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, expressly including hookahs and marijuana, whether natural or synthetic, and it also captures vapor from an electronic smoking device.

Section 151-2 then bans that conduct outright: no person shall smoke, using that definition, or use any tobacco product in any City-owned park or recreation area, a term § 151-1 defines to include picnic areas, playgrounds, athletic fields, walking paths, gardens, hiking trails, bike paths, and dog parks, while excluding the Hunter Golf Course and any sidewalk merely abutting a park. Every covered park or recreation area must post at least one conspicuous sign stating the prohibition under § 151-3, and the Director of Parks and Recreation may carve out a designated smoking area for large events under § 151-4, where a citation will not issue.

Enforcement runs through citation issued by City of Meriden police officers under § 151-5. Section 151-6 sets a graduated penalty: a warning for a first offense, a $25 citation for a second, $50 for a third, and $99 for a fourth or later offense, all on a form the City prescribes.