The Columbus City Council Tuesday unanimously passed a city ordinance banning the sale, use and possession of synthetic marijuana, effective immediately.
About a dozen Mississippi cities and counties have taken steps to ban the sale of the herbal mixture product, which offers the same high as marijuana and is known by many names, including K2, Spice, Demon, Voodoo, Genie and Zohai.
Columbus” ordinance was based on an ordinance passed in Tupelo, noted City Attorney Jeff Turnage.
“We have not had a giant problem with this,” Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John said. “We just want to put an end to it, before we do have a problem.”
In other matters, the council:
n Tabled a request from Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box to form a retail development task force.
“We realize we have a need for more retail development in the city,” Box said, suggesting a 12-member task force of “community leaders” be formed to “focus in on trying to attract retail” to Columbus.
“Our industrial development people have done a great job attracting industrial development,” he added. “We should be getting more retail than we are.”
Box said he spoke with Brenda Lathan of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link and told her the task force “is, in no way, to interfere with what the Link does.”
“Our intent is to support their efforts,” he explained. “She had mixed feelings, but would certainly work with whatever group we put together.”
Columbus Mayor Robert Smith suggested the council “get advice” from Lathan and Link CEO Joe Higgins before proceeding with a task force.
“I”m certainly supportive of anything that will bring retail to our area,” said Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin, asking Box how $10,000 budgeted for the task force would be used.
Box said the money, which would be budgeted for the next fiscal year, would go toward “contacting” retail developers and used to “create literature,” among other things.
“Isn”t that what the Link is doing or is supposed to do?” Gavin asked.
“This is to support their efforts,” Box repeated. “From my understanding, (the Link is) mostly focused on industrial development. This would be a group of people to try and help them focus on retail.”
“I think this is a duplication of service,” Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem said of forming a retail development task force.
Karriem suggested “aggressively” speaking with Link officials about the status of efforts to attract more retail development to the area.
“A lot of what they”re working on right now is confidential,” Smith said, reminding the council members they may not know about retail work already being done by the Link staff.
Box agreed to again speak with Lathan.
“I want you to understand this wasn”t designed as a stab at (the Link) in any way, but (it was designed) to help them,” he said.
Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens asked the council to “seriously consider” Box”s request to form a task force.
“We”ve got a lot of businesses leaving this city and we need some retail to come in,” he said.
The council tabled the matter, pending further discussion with Link officials.
n Was thanked by Dieter Krause, of the U.S. Census Bureau, for the city”s efforts in helping achieve a census count.
The Census Bureau currently is “delineating minor discrepancies” and employing “quality control” workers into the field, finishing by the end of the year. Mississippi will be the first state to receive census results, he said, noting the final results likely will be received in early February.
Krause also recognized the Lowndes County Complete Count committee for its efforts in achieving a census count.
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