A “public outcry” has prompted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office to launch a new operation targeting the public use of marijuana, the sheriff’s office said in a release Tuesday.

“Operation Up In Smoke” kicked off Tuesday as MCSO personnel will be looking for those using marijuana in public or in a vehicle — particularly in vehicles where children are present.

“The open use of marijuana has become common in several public areas throughout Mobile County,” Sheriff Paul Burch said in the release. “We witnessed this during Mardi Gras and see it at grocery stores and all major shopping centers.”

The sheriff’s office said it has received numerous complaints from area residents.

“If you choose to consume marijuana in the confines of your home, and we do not condone that you do, that is a risk you choose to take,” the MCSO said. “This operation is about the public outcry of others who do not wish to participate or expose their families to illegal drugs.

“Marijuana is not legal anywhere in the state of Alabama and has not been legalized Federally. This purposeful disregard for obeying the law will not be tolerated in Mobile County.”

Mobile Metro Jail records showed that as of late Tuesday afternoon, two people had been arrested by the MCSO on marijuana charges, one of the two charged with trafficking.