Gainesville City Commission advanced both a ban on synthetic drugs and a plan for pedestrian access to Northwest Eighth Avenue during Thursday’s meeting.
Commission members unanimously made the first of two necessary approvals on an ordinance that bans the possession with intent to sell, display for sale or manufacture of synthetic drugs in Gainesville.
The Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force proposed this ordinance in August to combat the increased use of synthetic drugs around the state, said Lt. Matt Nechodom, a member of the task force. The proposal came after a local case during the summer when several people were sent to the hospital after smoking synthetic marijuana, also known as spice.
The ordinance will ban the sale of synthetic drugs with chemical compositions that mimic any drugs on the controlled substances list in Florida statutes. It includes synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones, which are sometimes known as bath salts.
Previously, some of these drugs came in packages labeled “not for human use” with a catchy name. The new ordinance would require synthetic drugs’ packaging to fully list what is in them, where they are manufactured and what they react with, said Nechodom.
A violation of the ordinance would result in a $250 civil fine. If a person is found with multiple packages of the synthetic drugs, each package counts as an individual fine.
Nechodom said he doesn’t see this having a huge impact on students.
“There is an exception to everything,” Nechodom said, “but we’ve never really seen the student population as the clients.”
The commission also approved the design for pedestrian access on Northwest Eighth Avenue. In a 4-3 vote, the commission approved a plan for 10-foot, shared-use paths on both sides of the road with medians in a predetermined crossing area.
Mayor Ed Braddy said this would be the best option because it includes the four-vehicle lanes that residents prefer; accommodates traffic, including emergency vehicles; and provides space for pedestrians and cyclists.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/23/2015 under the headline “Commission: ban on drugs, wider 8th Avenue sidewalks"]
