Bill to Ban Drug K2 Introduced
2 min readNote: Calling K2 ‘synthetic marijuana’ is a bit of a misnomer.
HARRISBURG, July 30 — Rep. Jennifer L. Mann, D-Lehigh, has introduced HB 176, the Act to Ban Synthetic Marijuana, today in the Pennsylvania House. The legislation will ban the sale or use of “K2,” a synthetic marijuana responsible for numerous emergency room visits by teens and children, and a drug which causes severe health effects in its users.
“My legislation would ensure those found possessing K2 would be subject to the same laws as those possessing marijuana,” Mann said. “Mixes sold on the street marked as ‘K2’ contain various dangerous chemicals which present real health risks to users. We must act immediately to ban this substance to protect the Commonwealth’s children.”
The drug is so new, no federal or Pennsylvania law exists to give police the right to arrest those possessing K2.
“By setting clear guidelines on the use and consumption of synthetic marijuana, we empower our law enforcement personnel to stop the spread of this new threat to our children and communities,” Mann said.
K2 is a blend of herbs treated with chemicals to produce a marijuana-like high in users, and nearly always causes unwanted side effects in its users. Due to the fact it is not a controlled substance it is sold openly on the internet and in head shops under the names “Demon” and “Hawaiian Haze.”
“Many teens and children make the mistake that because it is not yet illegal, K2 is somehow a ‘safe’ substance – my legislation would help inform kids and their parents that this is a dangerous drug that can cause real harm through its use,” Mann said.
Some patients have needed to be tranquilized by doctors after smoking K2, and the drug can cause symptoms such as fast heart rate, confusion, nausea, agitation, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, hallucinations, and seizures.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers issued a warning in March on the effects of synthetic marijuana.
I’m always disappointed when articles make unsupported statements like “nearly always causes unwanted side effects in its users” and “a drug which causes severe health effects in its users.” The article makes no mention of the fact that no studies have been conducted on the short or long term effects of the drug on humans. There’s also no statistics on on youth use of K2. All evidence about K2 is anecdotal. News agencies should report the news, not just make stuff up. K2 may be harmful, but articles like this just encourage fear and knee jerk reactions without any sensible discourse.
Editor’s Response:
I agree. Also worthy of note is the fact that K2, or at least much of what is being sold under that name, is a far cry from “synthetic marijuana”.
If it weren’t for the prohibition of marijuana, folks would not buy k2 incense alternatives. Why would they? If people had legal access to the real deal they would not be hunting down k2 herb and the like. Just as the government has wasted endless resources chasing down marijuana, now they are going to do the same with this incense stuff. It is ridiculous and wasteful in more ways than one. How long have these products been banned, and there are still places advertising legal everywhere products like those found at http://www.buyk2.com .