Ban sought on synthetic marijuana products

Products that mimic the high of marijuana and cause serious health problems, such as seizures and hallucinations, should be removed from store shelves, Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.

He called for passage of legislation that would ban the substances at a news conference in Mineola attended by Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Jeffrey Reynolds, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

The products -- sold as potpourri and incense under the names K2, Legal Phunk and Spice -- are available in stores on Long Island and are popular with high school and college students, Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.

Rice said many buying the substances don't realize the health dangers -- seizures, hallucinations, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, panic attacks and erratic behavior.

"It's important for parents to be aware of the dangers posed by synthetic marijuana," she said.

The David Mitchell Rozga Act would make it illegal to sell the synthetic drug and remove it from the market.

The legislation, also known as the Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011, is named after an 18-year-old Iowan who killed himself soon after using a product containing synthetic marijuana that he purchased at a shopping mall.

Makers of the substances "have successfully evaded Drug Enforcement Agency bans by slightly altering the chemical compound of their products and repackaging them," according to Schumer.

The legislation "contains specific provisions that would prevent" the tweaking of these products to avoid federal bans, "ensuring that they are kept from re-entering the Long Island market," Schumer said.

"It has the exact same effect as marijuana," he said. "But it is not technically outlawed as marijuana and they are allowed to sell it legally."

Efforts to reach some of the manufacturers were unsuccessful.

The measure, introduced last year by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. Another version has already passed the House.

"We need to nip this scourge in the bud," Schumer said.