Senate committee approves ban on synthetic marijuana

St. Paul, Minn.

April 7, 2011 3:46 PM

synthetic pot K2 — In this Feb. 15, 2010 photo, Conner Moore, 20, displays a three-gram package of K2, at his home in Columbia, Mo. Produced in China and Korea, the mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing. Though banned in most of Europe, K2's key ingredients are not regulated in the United States.
Associated Press

A Minnesota Senate panel has advanced an effort to ban synthetic marijuana and other similar drugs.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee voted Thursday to consider the measure as part of a broader drug policy bill.

Under the bill, possession of synthetic marijuana and other substances would be a misdemeanor. The sale of such products would also be illegal. Republican Sen. Carla Nelson of Rochester said it's wrong that stores can now sell synthetic marijuana as a harmless products, such as as incense or bath salts.

"According to our current laws, these substances are legal," Nelson said. "And the goal of my legislation is to get these off the shelves of our stores. These ought not be legal products. They are not harmless."

The Minnesota House passed a similar stand-alone bill earlier this session. The House also added the language to a Health and Human Services budget bill earlier this week.

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