The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued an emergency ban on five chemicals used to produce synthetic marijuana, a decision that will make products like K2 and Spice illegal in less than thirty days.
For the next 12 months, sale or possession of these chemicals and the products that contain them is illegal as more research is conducted on the effects and dangers of the substances, DEA spokesperson Barbara Carreno said.
The products will remain legal until December 24, giving retailers an opportunity to decide how to sell or remove inventory from their stores, Carreno said.
Synthetic marijuana is often found in stores and gas stations, including shops on State Street.
The DEA’s decision to issue the ban follows an increase in reported negative effects of synthetic marijuana, like seizures, that scientists do not understand, Carreno said.
These differ from the typical effects of regular marijuana use and are oftentimes more powerful, leading to increased visits to poison control centers and hospitals.
The synthetic chemicals used to make products like K2 originated from research labs studying cannabinoids, said John Huffman, a professor of organic chemistry at Clemson University and developer of multiple synthetic chemicals, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that include THC, the substance in marijuana that produces a “high” when smoked or ingested, Huffman said.
Since the development of these compounds, people outside research labs have created them, using them to make and sell synthetic marijuana products disguised as incense.
Huffman said the effects of these chemicals on humans have not been studied and people should not use them for consumption or recreation.
With little understanding of these substances, the DEA’s ban allows time for more research while protecting the public, Carreno said.
Over the course of the ban, the Department of Health and Human Services will examine synthetic marijuana’s effects on humans, including addictiveness and safety, she said.
After one year, they will offer recommendations to the DEA on whether the chemicals should be controlled, Carreno said. A decision on whether to make synthetic marijuana permanently illegal will then be made.
While the DEA seeks to stop the use of synthetic marijuana, Gary Storck, a spokesperson for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Madison, said he foresees makers of products like K2 will create different substances that circumvent the DEA’s five chemicals ban.
Storck said synthetic marijuana is a symptom of marijuana prohibition that would not have surfaced if marijuana was legal.
He added with little known about chemicals in synthetic marijuana, regular marijuana remains a safer choice because of knowledge of its effects and its longer history of use.
Storck said he disagreed with the DEA’s decision to prohibit more substances and the decision may hurt small businesses who sell synthetic marijuana while also creating more work for law enforcement.
But, since small amounts of marijuana are already not a priority for the DEA or local law enforcement, UW law professor says synthetic marijuana will probably not become a huge priority either.
