The first day of the Fall 2025 session of Philadelphia City Council began with both old and new legislation regarding nuisance businesses, and a flurry of resolutions aimed at everything from SNAP benefits to calls for committee hearings.
Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced a resolution “authorizing the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings concerning the sale of unregulated substances, such as Delta-8 and Kratom, in the City of Philadelphia.”
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, Delta-8 is “a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, of which marijuana and hemp are two varieties. Delta-8 THC is one of over 100 cannabinoids produced naturally by the cannabis plant but is not found in significant amounts in the cannabis plant. As a result, concentrated amounts of delta-8 THC are typically manufactured from hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD).
The USDA also warns Delta-8 has not been evaluated by the FDA and may be marketed in ways that put the public health at risk.”
Kratom is a South-Asian tropical tree and it leaves are sold via the internet and certain stores. The plant has legitimate uses, providing relief from “pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal,” according to the USDA.
Similar to Delta-8, however, Kratom has not been approved for use by the USDA and therefore not legally marketable in the United States.
Landau Introduces Resolutions
Councilmember Rue Landau introduced two resolutions, the first of which condemns “Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration for their dramatic, ill-advised, and harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”
According to the resolution, about 500,000 Philadelphians, roughly one-third of the population, receive SNAP benefits. Due to new requirements added by congressional Republicans, many recipients could have their benefits terminated after three months due to new work requirements. Historically, when work requirements have been added to assistance programs, the new paperwork required to maintain the needed benefits is overly cumbersome and is subject to processing delays and administrative errors by overworked civil servants.
The second resolution acknowledges “September 10, 2025 as Suicide Prevention Day in the City of Philadelphia, and affirming the need for suicide prevention awareness and robust mental health services.”
World Suicide Prevention Day “aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations to prevent suicides.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 48,433 Americans died by suicide in 2018, with increases in each subsequent year.
Brooks Call for Disabilities Hearing
Minority Leader Kendra Brooks introduced a resolution “authorizing the Committee on People with Disabilities and Special Needs to hold a hearing on the City’s progress preparing to accommodate individuals with disabilities for the historic programming taking place in 2026 in the City of Philadelphia.”
According to the resolution, more than 280,000 people in Philadelphia identify as having a disability-the highest rate of any large city in the nation. The city recently received the title as the country’s first sensory-inclusive city.
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