Pottsville’s proposed ban on so-called gas station drugs recently got some revisions.
An amended version of the city’s ordinance raises the maximum fine from $300 to $1,000 per offense, adds synthetic mushrooms to the list of banned products, and makes it illegal to possess the products with the intent to sell or distribute them.
City Council is expected to hold a second reading of the amended ordinance, which could pass it into law, at its regular meeting on Nov. 9.
The new version adds synthetic mushrooms, which it defines as lab-made psychedelics that turn into psilocin in the body. Psilocin is the chemical in “magic mushrooms” that causes the high. The ordinance names 4-AcO-DMT, also known as psilacetin.
It also makes clear that nitrous oxide used for medical purposes is not covered.
The ordinance still does not make it illegal to have or use these products. But the new version adds possession with the intent to sell or distribute them to the list of things that are against the law, and it spells out what counts as possession and delivery.
The amended ordinance also adds several product names, including “Maeng Da,” “Red Bali,” “White Thai,” “Ultra Enhanced Kratom,” and “Extract Shots,” to its definition of synthetic and lab-made kratom. Maeng Da, Red Bali, and White Thai are common names for strains of natural kratom leaf, which was already banned under the original version.
Violations would still be a summary offense, and jail time would still top out at 90 days per offense. The ordinance would still take effect 10 days after it’s adopted.
The new version adds a section citing the state’s Third Class City Code, which gives cities like Pottsville the power to pass ordinances to protect public safety and to set fines for breaking them.
READ MORE: Push to Ban Kratom, Gas Station Drug Sales Moves Forward in Pottsville
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