Legislators consider banning legal marijuana alternative

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A drug that many MSU students use as a legal alternative to marijuana could become illegal if a bill passed unanimously by the state Senate on Aug. 24 becomes law.

Several types of synthetic cannabis, including K2, would be banned under this bill.

K2 is an herbal blend that is sprayed with the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018. Although it does not contain any tetrahydrocannabinol, the high-inducing compound in marijuana, it produces psychoactive effects similar to that of marijuana.

After passing in the Senate by a vote of 37-0, the bill is now waiting to be taken up in the House Judiciary Committee before it can proceed to the full state House of Representatives.

The House passed a similar bill in June by a vote of 104-1 and is waiting in the Senate Judiciary Committee to move forward.

The Senate bill, if passed, would amend a prior public health code to add K2 as well as several other synthetic cannabinoids to the list of Schedule 1 drugs, those that have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medicinal uses, said Patrick Affholter, an analyst with the Senate Fiscal Agency. Other Schedule 1 drugs include marijuana, heroin and Ecstasy.

Under the bill, knowingly possessing or using marijuana substitutes would be a misdemeanor. Like marijuana, simple possession of K2 would bring a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Use of synthetic cannabinoids would bring up to 90 days in jail and a $100 fine, Affholter said.
The bill would also prohibit the sale, possession and use of an Ecstasy substitute, N-Benzylpiperazine, or BZP, Affholter said.

If passed into law, the bill would take effect on Oct. 1.

Some East Lansing businesses that sell K2 might experience a strain on business if the substance were banned. K2 is an important product in her business, said Galena Katz, the owner of Krazy Katz & Silver Streak, 317 E. Grand River Ave.

“Nobody wants it illegal, especially not the students because they all buy as responsible adults,” Katz said. “(However,) once it becomes illegal, there will be something new. It’s not a for sure thing that there will be something else, but there always is.”

However, not all students are upset. K2 does not produce a good high, and since it does not appear on drug tests, it is usually only used by those on probation, said jazz studies freshman Judson Branam, who said he has smoked the drug.

“The only people who really smoke it are the people that are on probation,” Branam said. “You smoke it and you feel like (crap). K2 is bad news.”

Currently, there are no regulatory controls on the production of JWH-018 and K2, and this makes it dangerous for consumption, said state Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, the bill’s sponsor.

“(K2 is) more dangerous, because of the potency,” Nofs said. “The THC in a marijuana cigarette — this stuff can be 100 to 800 times more potent … If you can make it up, you can make it as strong as you want.”

Although the Senate and House’s bills are nearly identical, the House’s bill is better thought out, said state Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
Meadows said he does not plan to move the Senate’s bill through his committee and into the full House.

“The House bill has been worked on, talked about and compromised, and that is where we would like to see it,” Meadows said. “We’d probably be in a position that we suggest to the Senate that they move our House bill (rather than we move their Senate bill).”

Although no extensive research has been conducted, K2 can produce many adverse side effects not seen from marijuana use, including increased heart rate, panic attacks, elevated blood pressure and vomiting, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center’s website.

“We don’t know the long term effects yet, but it’s obviously not good for your system,” Nofs said.
Six other states have passed legislation to ban K2, and several other states, like Michigan, are considering bills that would prohibit the drug.

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