The Douglasville City Council adopted a resolution concerning the use, sale and delivery of synthetic drugs during Monday night's meeting.

"We wanted to get out ahead of this issue before in becomes a major problem," Council member Carl Pope said.

The substances are marketed and sold as incense, potpourri or novelty aromatics and produce the physiological and phychological effects of a controlled substance such as marijuana, according to the City's resolution.

Russell Lance Dyer, of Bremen, addressed the Council two weeks ago, asking them to consider adopting an ordinance similar to the one the City of Buchanan has adopted. Dyer said he add made the same request of several Council in the area. after his son died after using a synthetic marijuana product. Dyer said he had made the same request of several councils in the area.

Pope said Dyer's story touched the Council.

"This stuff is readily available and cheaper than marijuana," he said.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Suzan Littlefield told the council members that she has researched some of the ordinances passed by local governments, according to the Douglas County Sentinel.

"Of the ordinances that I've looked at, there is no proof they can do something that local governments really don't have the power to do," Littlefield said, according to the Sentinel. "To go a little further, I think what it's trying to do is to cure a problem that the state is having in defining what substances are controlled and that's just a problem we're going to have. Local governments can't cure it any better than the state does and what we really can't do is to exercise powers that the state has."

"We don't want to pass an ordinance that will mess up what the State is trying to do," Pope said.

Pope said he believes the State will act on this issue quickly.

"We know from various representatives that this issue is being discussed," he said. "I think this will be at the top of their list."

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