Batavia Considers Ban On Synthetic Cannabinoids, Psychoactive Drugs

BATAVIA, IL — With the opening of Batavia's first recreational cannabis dispensary on the horizon, officials are considering banning the sale of synthetic and psychoactive drugs within the city.

The City Council will discuss the ban and whether to implement it at its Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday night.

In a memo to the Committee of the Whole, Chief of Police Eric Blowers said the availability and sale of psychoactive drugs, synthetic drugs, THC products and synthetic cannabinoids have increased in the marketplace over the last few years, with multiple stores selling them in Batavia.

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"These products are a danger to public health and may ... negatively [affect] cognitive functioning and even possibly [cause] death," Blowers wrote. "These substances are readily available, because despite state and federal laws that prohibit some synthetic drugs, drug makers continually alter the composition of the compounds in their products so as to escape the purview of the law."

Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC products — substances made by isolating a type of THC in a legal hemp plant — specifically have been proliferating thanks to a loophole in a federal bill that was enacted to protect and regulate hemp-derived products with low marijuana concentrations.

The strains are not required to be tested for contaminants, and people 18 and older can legally buy the products, Blowers argued.

"In addition to the public health concerns, overnight and enforcement of these products is extremely challenging for local police departments," Blowers said. "This is because without significant personnel and financial resources, it is nearly impossible to verify the legitimacy and (current) legality of the products being sold."

The full list of drugs that may be banned can be found on the city's website.

The chief said other towns such as Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows and Waukegan have implemented similar bans.

If the ban passes and sales continue, any person violating the ordinance can be fined up to $500 per day, and the city would have the authority to suspect the business's licenses.