Hudson City Council Adopts Ordinance to Ban Synthetic Marijuana

The City of Hudson Common Council at its March 12 meeting at voted to approve Ordinance 7-12, which prohibits the sale or possession of synthetic cannabinoids.

The ordinance lists the names of a few retail products, such as K2, Spice, Genie and Yucatan Fire, and several chemical compounds.

Though there is a state law alredy on the books, Chief Marty Jensen said enacting a city ordinance would allow the city to enforce those violations through municipal court instead of circuit court. Also, the fees collected—in excess of $300 per violation—would go into the city's coffers.

"If our officers should come across this on a traffic stop, and it's a small amount, instead of having to charge this person through circuit court, taking them to jail and so forth, we can just write them a municipal ordinance citation and pursue it that way," Jensen said. "It makes it much easier for our officers to handle."

Jensen said that a local smoke shop had been selling the drugs recently. However, when police last month, no synthetic cannabinoids were found.

Jensen also said that the drugs had become popular among students.

"We have been getting a lot of reports from the school district in regards of students coming to school and stating that they were high on this type of drug," Jensen said. "That's why we're trying to step up our enforcement actions."

The state statute that bans these substances also has its birth in Hudson. Wisconsin state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) introduced Senate Bill 54 in April 2011, and it was at the .