Georgia State Senate Bill Bans Fake Pot
Although it's not the real thing, fake pot is a pretty big deal as the Georgia State Senate voted to ban the use and sale of synthetic marijuana.
As a result, Georgia could become a part of a movement nationwide to crack down on fake pot also known as K2 or Spice and impose severe penalties, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
The new bill in Georgia State Senate would make the sale of K2 illegal and put it at the top of the state's list of controlled substances.
As previously discussed, K2 was banned in by lawmakers in Kansas. It was the first state to ban the synthetic drug.
Authorities in Kansas say they have found everyone from ex-convicts on probation to high school students using the imitation pot.
Synthetic marijuana a growing trend among teens, authorities say.
The product is currently legal and widely available in Georgia, but that could soon change if the bill also is approved by the Georgia House of Representative.
Some towns in Missouri also have passed emergency legislation banning the sale of K2. The punishments under the laws in Missouri and Kansas are the same ones given to users of real marijuana.
As previously discussed, K2 is mainly sold in headshops as incense. The fake pot is a mixture of spices herbs and a compound similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
The Drug Enforcement Agency also has classified synthetic marijuana a "substance of interest" and calling its use the equivalent of "playing Russian roulette" because synthetic drugs are not made in a controlled environment.
K2 has already been banned in parts of Europe, including Britain, Germany, Poland and France.
- Marijuana-like drug K2 alarms some Oklahoma experts (The Oaklahoman)
- Cannabis Chronicles (blogsocweekly.com)
- Missouri May Be Second State to Ban K2 (ozarksfirst.com)
- Drug Charges (provided by John W. Tumelty)
- Drug Crime FAQ (provided by Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP)