PETERSBURG, Va. – Some folks think the autumnal "Welcome to Petersburg" signage appears to contain a colored marijuana leaf.
A WTVR CBS 6 viewer sent in a photo Wednesday afternoon of the banners hanging on several city streetlights.
"Is it just me or are the leaves on this banner just brightly colored marijuana leaves?” the Facebook post read.
Senior reporter Wayne Covil located the banners and asked folks on the street what they think of the design.
Several folks he talked to said they did not see anything unusual and that the sign looked like fall leaves.
However, one woman said the foliage looked very much like cannabis.
“They look like marijuana leaves,” she laughed. “Welcome to Petersburg.”
Another man went further and said he believed the signs needed to be removed because they were a “bad representation of the city."
City officials said the leaf pictured in the banners is that of a Japanese maple.
A longtime grower of Japanese maples, which turn a brilliant red to purple in the fall, said the confusion with marijuana is “not new but always amusing.”
