Synthetic Drugs Take Center Stage at Informational Meeting

Do you want to learn more about synthetic drugs, such as “Spice” or “K2,” the evolution of laws covering these drugs, availability and effects of such substances?

The Lake in the Hills Police Department hopes to answer those questions during an informational presentation at its Safety Education Center, 1109 Crystal Lake Road, Lake in the Hills, at 6 p.m. Feb. 28.

In 2011, the state of Illinois outlawed the sale of K2 or Spice, which had been used as a legal substitute for marijuana.  

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in April 2011 discovered area gas stations still were selling various banned synthetic drugs, confiscated the items and educated the retailers on the laws banning the substances. Many of the retailers were unaware of the new 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.

Some area villages have looked into ordinances banning synthetic drugs.

James Wales, the Lake in the Hills Police Department’s director of police and public safety, told the Daily Herald in a December article that Lake in the Hills is not looking to ban synthetic marijuana in the near future.

He told the Daily Herald the only way of properly addressing the problem is with state laws.

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, a city that has passed a local ordinance banning the synthetic marijuana, said they did so to prevent businesses from selling it.