Springfield City officials advance plan for ordinance to bar sale of synthetically derived cannabinoid products

Springfield City officials on June 16 discussed a proposed ordinance that would ban the manufacture, sale and public display of synthetically derived cannabinoid products — including items marketed with delta‑8 and delta‑10 — citing health risks and marketing that appears to target children.

The proposal, presented by Commissioner Helen Carlton Harris of the Department of Health and Human Services, seeks to give city enforcement teams authority to remove unregulated products from retail shelves and issue civil fines to sellers. City attorneys and public‑safety staff urged the City Council to adopt local rules while related state legislation remains uncertain.

City public‑health leaders described the products as unregulated and potentially dangerous. "We do not know what is being sold as far as cannabinoids are concerned," Commissioner Helen Carlton Harris said, listing clinical risks she said are associated with the products: "These products can cause agitation, confusion, seizures, and stroke," and she added psychological effects such as hallucinations and psychosis. Harris said the products are often packaged and marketed alongside familiar snack items in ways that can attract children.

Steve Bonacone, City Solicitor, advised the council on enforcement limits under current law. "The $300 fine is the maximum amount that we're allowed to issue as a civil penalty, both through our charter and state law," he said, noting that larger, tiered penalties available under separate state statutes (used for flavored‑tobacco violations) require explicit state authorization.

City staff described an outreach and enforcement plan that would include sending notice letters to retailers, targeted inspections by environmental‑health and tobacco‑control officers, and assistance from the Springfield Police Department for seizures and custody of confiscated products. Commissioner Harris said city inspectors and tobacco‑control officers have already identified roughly "12 to 13 places where we know they're being sold." The city also plans to notify a broader retail list — more than 400 registered entities — so stores understand the ordinance if it is adopted.

Speakers emphasized the difference between licensed, regulated cannabis businesses and the unregulated products addressed by the ordinance. Ken Shea, an attorney with the law department, said regulated marijuana sales are restricted to licensed outlets and customers 21 and older; he characterized the synthetically derived products under discussion as "aimed and marketed towards our most vulnerable population in the city, and that is the children." City staff said the proposed local ordinance would target sellers and displays, not consumers: enforcement would take the form of civil infractions against businesses rather than criminal prosecution of purchasers.

Officials also described a legal and policy context in which the city is acting. The Springfield Public Health Council previously adopted a regulation on the issue (recorded as considered in October), which can impose non‑monetary controls; state legislation passed by the House would impose a statewide prohibition but remains subject to Senate action and the governor's signature. "We think the matter is so serious that we can't wait," Bonacone said of moving ahead locally while the state process continues.

City staff acknowledged logistical questions remain, including where to store seized products and how to scale enforcement. Commissioner Harris said the city is coordinating with the police firearms unit and other departments to develop seizure and storage procedures and will pursue outreach meetings with retailers identified as relying on these products as a major revenue source. The presenters also noted the ordinance would allow a store inspection and immediate confiscation of marked products described as synthetically derived cannabinoids.

No formal vote on the ordinance is recorded in the meeting transcript. Speakers noted the ordinance is at its second step and "could pass tonight," but the transcript contains only discussion and implementation planning, not a recorded motion, mover/second or vote tally. Officials said if a state law is later enacted, the local ordinance could require amendment to conform to statewide rules.

If enacted locally, the city would treat each packaged item described as a covered product as a separate civil violation carrying the $300 maximum penalty allowed under current municipal authority; staff pointed out that seizure of multiple packages could multiply penalties in practice. Next steps described to the council included formal introduction for consideration by the full City Council, outreach letters to retailers, and coordination with Springfield Police Department on inspections and evidence storage.

The meeting concluded with councilors and staff expressing support for moving quickly to limit youth exposure while clarifying that the city's civil penalty authority is narrower than state law allows.