Synthetic marijuana will be officially banned in Illinois in the new year, and officials in Frankfort and New Lenox are preparing for the local impact on the drug, which the Will County state attorney has called a "public health crisis."
Currently, various forms of the drug are sold legally at local smoke shops, often under the name K2 or Spice, among others. They are sold as incense in packages that often state "Not For Human Consumption." And although some reports say the drug, which is a mix of herbs and chemicals, can mimic the effects of marijuana, many believe it's a lot more dangerous.
"I've had several moms coming to me about different stores selling this stuff, and we've got a problem with kids dying from it across the country," New Lenox village trustee Dave Smith said during a board meeting Monday night.
New Lenox adopted local measures to issue tickets for the sale or possession of synthetic marijuana, and Frankfort is considering something similar.
According to Will County State Attorney James Glasgow, who spoke at a news conference Dec. 14, poison control centers across the country have received more than 5,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana products in the first nine months of 2011.
"Over-the-counter availability of synthetic marijuana has created a public-health crisis in Will County and across the nation," Glagsow said at the news conference. "Young people are being poisoned by these extraordinarily dangerous chemicals. It was our obligation as law enforcement officials and as legislators to pass a law banning the possession and sale of every form of synthetic marijuana in Illinois."
When a new law banning synthetic marijuana goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012, selling the drug will carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $150,000 fine, and possession could lead to three years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine.
But local municipalities are expanding upon that and would issue tickets to offenders. New Lenox approved a $250 fine for selling and $100 for possession. The village also entered the various chemical and brand names into its drug code and now has the authority to seize a vehicle if synthetic marijuana is found in it.
Frankfort officials are considering going down the same path that New Lenox has when it comes to K2. Frankfort Police Chief John Burica said during Monday's village board meeting that he is working with the village's attorney to craft local ordinances that would add additional penalties for retailers and people in possession of synthetic marijuana.
The State Attorney’s Office will work with local police agencies in January to make certain that retailers are complying with Illinois law. Officers in uniform or undercover will visit tobacco retailers for compliance checks. New Lenox police chief Bob Sterba said the department has already notified area merchants.
Sam Amed, an employee at Frankfort Tobacco in the Frankfort Crossing shopping center, said the store still sells K2 but pulled down all the displays for the product Monday. Mostly, he'll be selling the product to customers who have purchased it there before.
"I removed all the signs and display units because if you know it is banned, why display it?" he said.
Amed said K2 sales have been down for the store because the state banned earlier this year the use of certain chemicals mixed with the herb that gave K2 its THC-like effect. He also said many of the problems with K2 come from its misuse, where people smoke it instead of using it as an incense, which is its original intent.
Some customers have asked if the shop will still be selling K2 in the new year, but Amed has been quick to tell them no.
"Once it's banned, it's banned," he said.
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