Council Passes Laws Restricting Hucksters, Spice

The County Council held a lively hour-long meeting on Monday night in the council chambers. While much of the time was spent discussing a new healthcare benefit contract for county employees, all resolutions on the agenda were passed. Highlights included limits on the activities of door-to-door salesmen and a ban on a synthetic cannabis called spice.

The huckster bill, sponsored by Councilman T. Bryan McIntire, makes it a crime for licensed door-to-door salesmen to go to houses after sunset or visit homes with "no soliciting" signs posted.

"It's certainly frightening to some widows to return home and find some stranger at their door," he said. "It's for that reason that I have sponsored the bill."

The spice bill, sponsored by Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, bans the sale of the synthetic cannabinoid, also known as K2, which has already been outlawed in several jurisdictions around the country and internationally. Kamenetz cited the substance's adverse medical effects, including muscle spasms, headaches and psychosis.

Though Ocean City hasn't banned it, police there asked boardwalk shops to voluntarily remove the substance from shelves earlier this summer. Kamenetz, the Democratic candidate for county executive, made headlines in August when he announced he would introduce a bill to make Baltimore County the first in the state to ban it outright.

"Importantly, I think the message taking place is that we're not going to tolerate these actions taking place in Baltimore County neighborhoods," Kamenetz said.

Another bill, sponsored by Councilmen McIntire, John Olszewski and Vincent Gardina, creates zoning provisions for wind speed indicators, a stepping stone to installing wind turbines.

All laws passed at the meeting will take effect in 45 days. The council meets next for a work session on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. in the council chambers.