Suffolk votes to ban synthetic marijuana

Suffolk County lawmakers voted unanimously to ban products containing synthetic marijuana from store shelves.

The bill was approved 18-0 at last week's legislative meeting in Riverhead. Legislator Kate Browning (WF-Shirley) introduced the measure in January.

It updates an existing law that bans the sale of the substance to minors by removing the products from store shelves and by broadening the definition of "synthetic cannabinoid" so that future compounds cannot be created to skirt the law.

"We basically closed up the loophole," Browning said.

She said she started getting complaints about the substance from parents in September.

"I had an incident with a young man in my district who wound up in the hospital thinking he was having an anxiety attack or a heart attack and he was in his 20s. It turned out he was using synthetic marijuana."

It is known to cause seizures, hallucinations, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, panic attacks and erratic behavior.

The law will take effect when filed with the secretary of state, which Browning said could take up to 60 days.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for a nationwide ban on potpourri and incense sold under the names K2, Legal Phunk and Spice.