For the second time in recent weeks, Oneida County’s top official is targeting the sales of easy-to-obtain substances that have been linked to addiction and other health problems.
The latest action involves the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is worried about the relatively easy access to the synthetic drugs designed to mimic the effects of THC, the psychoactive element contained in marijuana.
Picente signed a local law this month establishing fines for businesses that sell Kratom, a plant that has been used to market products claiming to help with pain, depression and other ailments.
Now, Picente is announcing a new public health order that requires packages of synthetic cannabinoids being sold in smoke shops and other locations to have an accurate description of their contents.
Picente said that currently, that information is not on the labels.
“There is nothing on them, regarding whether it’s K2, whether it’s what’s called Spice or Deuce, and the question becomes, we know that they are cannabinoid in that regard, but it’s like, how do we know what other mixture is in that?” Picente said.
Cassandra Sheets is CEO for the Center for Family Life and Recovery in Utica, which provides services to support people affected by addiction and related problems.
She said one of her organization’s main goals is to educate people about the dangers they may face in using these drugs.
“Our goal is not to stigmatize somebody who’s using substances. It’s to provide the opportunity (for people) knowing what they are, and that there are areas where you can reduce that harm,” said Sheets.
Shop owners who violate the new public health order in Oneida County may face a fine of up to $500 per item that is seized. And the county may soon look at tougher penalties, similar to the local law established recently regarding sales of kratom.
