LITH Not to Consider Synthetic Marijuana Ban

Lake in the Hills is not looking to ban synthetic marijuana in the near future, according to a Daily Herald report.

While many area villages have been looking at local ordinances to ban the illegal substance, James Wales, Lake in the Hills director of police and public safety, told the Daily Herald “the only way of properly addressing the problem is with state laws.”

Under the Illinois Controlled Substance Act, as of Jan. 1, 2011, any person found in possession of K2 or Spice could be charged with a Class 4 felony. Any person selling the synthetic drugs could be charged with a minimum of a Class 2 felony.

According to the Daily Herald article, penalties for possession include probation or one to three years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine. Manufacturing or delivering the substance could mean probation or two to five years in prison and up to $150,000 in fines.

In the Daily Herald article, officials in Aurora, one of the villages that have passed a local ordinance banning the synthetic marijuana, said they did so to further prevent businesses from selling it.

A local ordinance should be up for discussion at an Algonquin Village Board meeting Tuesday, according to the Daily Herald.

for K2 and Spice in April and found four retailers in southern McHenry County that were not in compliance. The sheriff’s office did not make any arrests but confiscated the items and educated the business further on the ban.

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