[0:14] I want to thank everyone for coming. This is a major issue for the city of Springfield. I'm Brian Santanello, Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee. And I have next to me, Councillor Martin, who's chairman of the Public Health and Safety Committee. And we wanted to put this meeting together to explain the new ban on break down to the city of Springfield and the whole state. And it appears to me that Commissioner Paulton is really prepared for this.

[0:44] It has done background information, even on cease and desist letters, but I have a series

[0:51] of questions because it came out so quickly and it's a statewide ban.

[0:56] It's now Helen, can you explain a number one, what is it?

[1:03] Number one, like heroin.

[1:05] It's a Class I.

[1:07] It is a Schedule I drug, and the definition of a Schedule I drug is they have a

[1:14] have a high policy for abuse.

[1:17] They have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

[1:24] And there is a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

[1:30] So the Schedule One drug meets those three criteria.

[1:34] And so the governor has decided that this cradle is a Schedule One drug based on factors

[1:43] and also based on conversations with the Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth.

[1:49] Now, you share with me, people have overdosed on this. They died from crata.

[1:55] That's correct. I do have the data with me from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

[2:02] In 2026 so far, they are reporting eight deaths across the Commonwealth for crata. In 2025,

[2:09] twenty-five, it was twenty-one. In twenty-twenty-four was eighteen, twenty-twenty-three, nineteen, twenty-twenty-two, sixteen, twenty-twenty-one, ten, and then twenty-twenty was fifteen. So those are the number of deaths that have been reported across the Commonwealth that can be directly linked to Crater, which is important.

[2:31] No. Explain that directly. It could be it could be mixed in with other things and other deaths.

[2:38] It could be other substances that could be included in the overdose potentially.

[2:45] But the way in which this has been reported, they are able to see a significant

[2:51] report of freedom in however it's tested in order to determine the cost of death.

[2:58] No, Helen, how is this tested if someone's caught with this substance, if a business is selling it, let's say it's not in a package that it's packaged the way it is now.

[3:08] Let's say it's in a bag and it's, let's say it goes underground or it comes in here, how do you test for that?

[3:14] Well, as you know, when I came before the city council previously, I did not believe that the city had the ability to be able to test for a cradle.

[3:23] If we are doing what's necessary,

[3:27] freedoms should not have to be tested

[3:29] because it is banned.

[3:31] As of August the 28th,

[3:33] there's, we are, the governor has banned

[3:37] freedom throughout the Commonwealth.

[3:40] In all forms of freedom.

[3:41] Let me be clear.

[3:42] Councilor Martin.

[3:44] So I know it needs to get a year-long ban, correct?

[3:47] So when that ban ends,

[3:50] can we maybe have like a trigger wall

[3:52] like in placement of his question for the law department.

[3:55] So when it gets, what's at the state level,

[3:58] could we then implement a ban on R&D?

[4:01] That's a good idea for me.

[4:02] Well, the city of Springfield

[4:04] and the Department of Health and Human Services

[4:05] had planned to come before you with a freedom ban

[4:09] that we had worked on with the law department

[4:12] in partnership, but when the governor has issued this,

[4:17] which will supersede what we were going to do

[4:20] at the city level, but to your point, if in fact, after a year or during that year, if we

[4:26] determine that we want to have the freedom ordinance that we originally were going to bring

[4:32] before you back on your docket, then that's what we will do. We'll have the ability to strengthen.

[4:38] But right now, the governor's action supersedes all of the local action we were going to take.

[4:47] maybe getting the follow-up for a lot of department. Is the governor's ban is that more

[4:54] strenuous? Is it less strenuous than what we had on the books or we had originally planned

[4:59] to put on the books? Is it about the same? Is there is there any difference in it?

[5:04] It's much strict for the governor's perspective. Yeah, our ordinance was going to be I think a ban on

[5:09] and then allowing some.

[5:11] The 708.

[5:12] Yeah, allowing some natural freedom.

[5:14] Right.

[5:15] But so this one is just a fallout ban on everything.

[5:18] So the governor has banned everything,

[5:21] which is the strictest that you can get.

[5:24] We had not in our ordinance banned everything.

[5:28] Our concern was 708, which was really that narcotic

[5:32] that was in cradle.

[5:34] But the governor has said just as the governor,

[5:36] just as Connecticut did.

[5:37] Connecticut has banned all forms of

[5:39] freedom as well. And so that is at

[5:42] stricter to, I was going to say

[5:46] city solicitor, but you're not that yet,

[5:48] Danielle to Danielle's point to

[5:52] attorney Danielle's point. It is strict.

[5:58] What about, I mentioned when we were

[6:02] walking up here to the meeting, what

[6:04] happens? It's a class one drug now in

[6:07] in the same class, as a matter of fact,

[6:09] it's in a higher class than fentanyl, is it not?

[6:11] Yes.

[6:12] That's unbelievable.

[6:14] What happens if you're caught in a school zone

[6:17] or a park with this drug?

[6:19] So as I said to you right now, there should be no store

[6:24] caught in a school zone or a park.

[6:27] Because if we ban, create them all together

[6:31] without any exception, then no one should be selling this.

[6:36] And so that, you know, when we look at the tobacco ordinance and we look at 500 feet, a thousand feet, that should not come in to play with this might immediate concern.

[6:47] And I think all of our concern has to do with enforcement.

[6:51] The governor's office that told us not to confiscate we cannot take the products off of the shelf because they're advising against that.

[7:00] But then the question becomes what does the city do in order to say that we're serious?

[7:05] Now, in the governor's order, she did list some things that you'll see in the letter

[7:12] that I sent.

[7:15] Again, we sent out 500 letters to all bodegas and convenience stores, so they are aware.

[7:24] We also, we have staff out right now doing educational visits with the store saying, you know, it's

[7:31] Task August 28th, this is illegal, and so that's where we currently are with it.

[7:38] Well, when you just mentioned that you were told, or the cities and towns are instructed not to confiscate, correct,

[7:46] then I don't understand. It's a Class 1 drug.

[7:51] And you can't confiscate a Class 1 drug. You put it in the class with heroin.

[7:56] And I know if I had a client that got busted for heroin and I'm before a judge and I'm getting ten years for dealing that

[8:04] But somebody comes in and gets busted for Craig Todd and says don't confiscate. I don't get it. I just don't follow this.

[8:11] That was the instructions counselor to the boards of health. Now, would they give different instructions to law enforcement and others?

[8:20] I don't know that answer.

[8:21] I can only tell you what we were told on the conference call with the commonwealth.

[8:27] Do not confiscate and so we will not be doing that.

[8:31] So we have to make sure we're figuring out other enforcement mechanisms.

[8:36] Now, if someone you mentioned earlier, if some business gets caught selling this, as a

[8:44] matter of fact, now you can use the term dealiness because it's illegal, not selling it, they're

[8:49] What happened? Does the City Council play a role in that business license, if they can find guilty of whatever?

[8:58] The City Council then can go in and take their license away for due to business?

[9:02] If in fact that's what the City Council decides to do, and I will leave that answer to, the City Council would have to be the one to make that law.

[9:11] that we would pull their business license.

[9:14] We know we can pull board of health permits,

[9:16] but in order to take it that one step,

[9:19] to say we are closing you down

[9:21] if you are caught selling this.

[9:23] Now remember, once the cease and the cease goes out,

[9:26] they have seven days in order to comply.

[9:30] If they don't comply within those seven days,

[9:34] that becomes the challenge is how to,

[9:38] how are we going to enforce this?

[9:40] Helen, up to the chair. Helen, how can this not go underground? If there's so much money

[9:47] in this, everything else, even marijuana went underground. I mean, you can buy cloth

[9:50] that's even better than, not, I shouldn't say, better than the body by a dispensary, but

[9:54] it could be a little stronger. It's out there. What happens with crayons? I don't know.

[10:01] I mean, I don't know what next thing will happen in order to alter a drug or a chemical in

[10:08] order to sell it illegally because that's what you're talking about that illegal sales happen

[10:14] once they're off of all of these shelves and I don't have the answer to that okay how we might

[10:21] enforce illegal activity because that is a police department matter I would say yeah and we did

[10:27] invite the police department here today but you know unfortunately nobody showed I had some questions

[10:32] for them, but I'll follow through with the government after this meeting. You do follow

[10:37] me. Absolutely. Now, at the last meeting, Councillor Martin, we had people here that took

[10:44] credit on because for pain, and we have people with veterans and stuff that have serious pain,

[10:51] what happens to them now? You can't even get this with a prescription. They have a year.

[10:58] The governor has banned all

[11:00] credom products.

[11:02] Curious natural as well as those

[11:05] infuse with a 708 the governor

[11:09] has banned them but the advocacy

[11:11] groups who think that freedom is

[11:14] helpful to veterans to anxiety to

[11:17] those with substance use disorders

[11:19] who may use it so they have a year

[11:22] in order to I think give testimony

[11:25] and make the case.

[11:28] Okay

[11:31] Do you have a good idea or like a list or know what stores in Springfield are or we're selling freedom if you guys have an idea that there are members of my staff who do

[11:44] because

[11:45] Remember we did bands synthetic cannabinoids and so our staff has been in those stores in order to enforce in

[11:53] in cannabinoids, and so they do have an idea.

[11:58] We knew with the set of cannabinoids,

[12:00] there were 12 stores we were looking at at the time.

[12:03] And so we knew those 12 stores,

[12:04] I'm gonna guess that those same stores

[12:06] are probably selling creative products as well.

[12:10] So we do have some idea.

[12:12] Okay, because again, I know it was a directive

[12:14] from the governor for our health department,

[12:17] not to go in and confiscate,

[12:20] But if it was maybe through law enforcement if we had the opportunity to do that it could

[12:26] be great if law enforcement could go in and confiscate these things.

[12:29] So if we had an idea of where they are or where they could be, that initial step of them

[12:34] yet now would be huge for public safety here at Frickley.

[12:38] Sure.

[12:38] And we are very excited to partner with Frickley Police Department.

[12:42] We know that there may be situations where we'll need the ordinance squad particularly.

[12:48] and so we will look forward to working with them.

[12:52] Superintendent Acres has said that he would be supportive

[12:56] in whatever way the board of health needed

[12:58] of the police department.

[13:00] So I think we have good conversations with police

[13:04] at first.

[13:04] That's great, that's great.

[13:07] Here's schedule one, drugs.

[13:09] I can see fentanyl, honestly.

[13:10] Yeah, I don't think it is.

[13:14] Thank you so much.

[13:15] I turn this list area off.

[13:21] All right, so no confiscate.

[13:23] So I'm not to confiscate the drug through the stores.

[13:26] The stores are all, you've notified all of us 500.

[13:31] Yes, we send out 500 letters.

[13:33] 500 letters to the stores.

[13:36] So I just have a prop, not with you.

[13:39] I have a problem with that.

[13:40] If you can't confiscate it, they're going to keep selling it.

[13:45] No, they're not.

[13:46] Because we as a city are going to assure working with the Board of Health

[13:51] and our police department, code enforcement, whoever we can, so the Board of Health has the

[13:57] ability to authorize agents and every ordinance I do, I put code enforcement and police department,

[14:04] and in some cases fire department. So they're agents of the Board of Health. So to your point,

[14:09] we're going to do our best because the goal is to keep these products away from our youth

[14:16] because they are buying these, what looks like potentially candy, what looks like bright packaging, so we need to make sure that we are protecting our youth and letting them know. These are bad substances.

[14:33] Thank you so much.

[14:35] Okay, so it's a wait and see see what happens we're here as a city council to help you with every single way.

[14:42] Does a lot of part of the have anything to say?

[14:46] No, I think that a pay for work that's been drawn up with the system, the system, the system, don't want to hear.

[14:54] It covers everything and gives us the opportunity to see it, so I think this is complicating

[14:59] it probably more.

[15:00] Are these actually going to help the party when they're separated? Yes, I don't think they want to help the party when they say it. That's probably why they did that. So my question I guess for the law department would be as a follow up in case, again, I don't know if this necessarily be the case or not, but in a year's time, the ban is lifted. Do we have the ability to go beyond just the synthetic curriculum and can we ban all sorts of it here at the city level and can we have that ready?

[15:29] to go like as a kind of a trigger ordinance to be the right terminology. So the second that

[15:36] ban is lifted it goes into effect. That'd be something if we could do it. Yes. We have a draft

[15:43] ready that we could just modify it. That'd be great. And that may be it. I think Councilor

[15:49] Santonello or Chairman Santonello and I, if you do follow up meeting, get the you know final

[15:54] of that and then talk with our police department, talk about a confiscation and enforcement.

[16:00] Yeah, obviously we're going to get by the commissioner.

[16:02] We definitely need the enforcement conversation.

[16:06] That's where my department is going to need some help.

[16:09] What is it that the police department and the law department can help us with?

[16:16] Do we want to just do board of health permit?

[16:18] Do we want to be able to shut the stores down if they're selling freedom?

[16:22] What action can you help us take that can be legal so that we can move this forward in a seamless way?

[16:30] Okay, I just have one last statement. I just I just hope that the rest of the state we have 360 cities and towns of

[16:47] That's good. I just hope that all these other cities and towns are as prepared as Springfield under your leadership. I mean that sincerely because a lot of these cities and towns don't have the resources and I just I just hope this doesn't know. I just hope for the best with this legislation. I really do.

[17:06] We are looking at how we might employ individuals to assist us even, and we have individuals who are doing this work, but it is a lot of work for us to look at.

[17:20] We now have, I think I want to say about 210 permanent organizations that sell or entities that sell tobacco products, right?

[17:29] a lot of out there. We have only identified about 12 to 15 who are doing

[17:34] creative or synthetic cannabinoids. But we're going to need help. And so that's

[17:39] why I'm hopeful that when we have our next meeting with the police department

[17:44] that we're and the law department obviously we're able to talk about enforcement.

[17:49] Helen, one last question on another topic similar on the tobacco. You're

[17:55] You're going to make it from 1,000 feet to 500 feet

[17:59] for schools.

[18:00] We have several changes that we're

[18:01] going to make to the tobacco ordinance.

[18:03] We're going to get through the youth ordinance,

[18:04] which is coming up on September 8.

[18:06] And our next one will be the tobacco ordinance.

[18:09] And yes, we're thinking about, we're also

[18:11] thinking about putting a cap on the number of stores that

[18:16] can sell tobacco.

[18:16] So right now, let's say we have 220.

[18:19] I'm just losing that as a number.

[18:21] So we have 220.

[18:23] We may cap it at 230.

[18:24] So we can do 10 more, the others will be grandfathered, but we do not want to have a whole bunch

[18:31] of tobacco licenses out there in the city because that is how we get on many levels since

[18:36] that it can't avoid.

[18:38] That's how we have freedom because we have entity selling tobacco products.

[18:43] So we look forward to bringing that ordinance or revised ordinance, which has not been revised

[18:50] since 1997.

[18:51] Well, so we do need to take a look at it and do some upgrades and we'll be bringing that to you as well.

[19:00] Final question. How much stress will it put on your staff?

[19:04] Well, my staff, I have the best staff. I have, where's Deputy Commissioner and Kissel's on the line.

[19:11] I have the best staff in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

[19:15] I have two amazing deputies who are just so skilled and they're young people.

[19:20] Like you, Councillor Martin, so that when I say, I don't know how to do this, they're running.

[19:26] I will show you, because technology has changed as you know, Brian.

[19:30] I mean, you know, so I have young folks.

[19:33] So it will put additional work on my staff.

[19:35] I don't want to not say that it won't, but what we do have is committed individuals.

[19:42] The city went out front like many cities and towns did not and hired a cannabis control

[19:49] coordinator. I brought that position before the mayor and it was approved. The other one that we

[19:55] have that we're spending a lot of time on is problem gambling coordinator. These are very

[20:01] forward-thinking positions that are in the city of Springfield. That many cities and towns do not have.

[20:07] Perfect. Thank you so much for your time. It's been a great meeting and let's hope for the best.

[20:12] There's a lot of harm to have anything else to say. Nothing. Thanks for coming. Thank you very much

[20:18] have a good day. Good job, Helen. Thank you, everyone.

Joint HHS & Public Safety Meeting

Transcript