At most council meetings, Coun. C.J. Rhodes is one of the most level-headed council members you would ever meet.

He quickly gets to the heart of an issue and asks just the right questions.

But every so often, Rhodes goes on a “rant” where his emotions run ahead of his more rational side.

Last summer, when thick smoke from wildfires regularly filled the air, Rhodes let loose with a “rant” lambasting the media for reporting on the smoke, but not the nice days in between.

On Monday, Rhodes, back from Arizona, let loose with another “rant,” this time on the subject of public consumption of marijuana after it’s legalized versus public consumption of tobacco.

The B.C. government has stated that with the exception of a few areas where children frequent, adults will be able to use recreational pot “in spaces where tobacco smoking and vaping are permitted.”

This is a surprising policy considering that jurisdictions that have already legalized cannabis such as Washington and Colorado don’t permit public consumption. Nor will most other Canadian provinces that have so far announced policies.

Rhodes doesn’t concur with those who object to the odour of pot smoke.

“I kind of like it,” he said. “It smells pretty good.”

Then he went a few steps further arguing that present restrictions on tobacco smoking don’t go far enough.

“I’d like to see tobacco totally banned in our country and open the door to cannabis, because there are so many more benefits,” he said.

The relative obnoxiousness of tobacco versus cannabis smoke is subjective and people will differ.

But that misses the point. Besides inflicting the smell on others, people smoking marijuana become impaired.

Admittedly alcohol and cannabis impairment are very different, but you can’t simply walk around the street with a bottle of wine, though you can with a cigarette.

As an online TripSavvy guide to Washington points out, “If you aren’t allowed to smoke or consume alcohol in a place, it’s a good bet that you’ll also be legally prohibited from smoking or consuming pot in any form.”

In other words, in some regards marijuana’s public nuisance impact is analogous to tobacco, while in other regards it’s analogous to alcohol.

Alcohol and tobacco are both legal, but you can’t use them anywhere you like.

But that wasn’t the only part of Rhodes’ “rant” that was questionable.

“I’d like to start this little rant off with expressing my contempt and disappointment about federal and provincial governments downloading these kinds of things onto the small municipalities like our community,” he said. “It’s unfair, it’s costly, when all of the legislation could be done at a federal level and make it a lot easier for everybody in local government to deal with.”

Really?

Federal, provincial and municipal governments all have different roles, responsibilities and areas of jurisdiction.

If the federal government suddenly started intruding in areas of municipal responsibility, we bet Rhodes would be one of the first to object, but that’s what he seems to be calling for.

Municipalities are responsible for retail locations, land use zoning and public consumption (jointly with the province) and that’s how it should be.

This is not to pick on Rhodes. As we said, he’s usually a very effective councillor.

But it does underline that there are many strong views on this subject that deserve to be “aired” in public – if that’s the right phrase in this context.

That’s why it’s unfortunate that council chose not to hold a public consultation to discuss the numerous issues raised in a thoughtful report by Town of Osoyoos CAO Barry Romanko.

Should stores be run publicly, privately or both? Where should stores be allowed. How many?

This is not merely a zoning question like where to permit a gas station or a grocery store.

It’s a brand new area of public policy on which many members of the Osoyoos community will have strong opinions.

Zoning should not be used as an indirect way to defeat a federal policy that is overdue and widely supported.

But the impact on the Osoyoos community of retail cannabis sales is substantial and the public deserves a right to participate  in the discussion at this stage.