Minnesota Synthetic Drugs Legislation
Minnesota talks about taking on the scary growth of dangerous, hard to regulate, synthetic drugs, like Spice, K2, and bath salts.
At long last, lawmakers are starting to pay attention to the insanely easy-to-obtain synthetic drugs now ravaging teens and adults across our nation. One of the first big pushes to ban synthetic drugs is from the state of Minnesota.
Minnesota Pays Attention
In October 2013, state lawmakers held a special session to give attention to the synthetic drug situation. They are currently working to find a way to fight the use of synthetics in the state. One of the biggest problems, according to an article published by Minnesota Public Radio, is that there is no regulation over what actually is defined as a synthetic drugs. Confusing things further, manufacturers package them in unassuming tin foil and often call them bath salts. They might as well call them potpourri, because it has nothing to do with either one. Let the record be clear: synthetic drugs are totally unrelated to baths, salts, or smelling nice.
This is where I start to really shake my head. Dangerous chemical drug are sprayed onto herbs or the like, and falsely called natural, labeled as something safe, and are easily available in head shops? Don't any of our laws prevent this already? Why do we need to convene special sessions of Congress to stop this obvious fraud? It's maddening.
Cracking Down on Synthetic Drugs
A few years ago laws were passed that cracked down on certain ingredients that pop up in synthetics like K2, also called Spice, but drug makers simply turned to new formulas. One of the new ideas is to change how drug laws are passed, enabling lawmakers to clamp down on new ingredients as soon as they are discovered. This could make it harder for drug makers to make a profit before they are forced into new recipes.
Another part of Minnesota's plan is a big push to show the public more about the dangers these drugs pose. In doing so, they hope to reduce the use across the state and prevent some of the tragedies from occurring. Good luck with that. Nancy Reagan tried the "Just Say No" campaign, and we still have plenty of addicts. It's a good public policy, I guess, but sometimes I wonder if they are doing that more to make themselves look good than to actually accomplishing anything.
No matter what your stance is on the legal debate, certain synthetic drugs have proven to be extremely dangerous. Hats off to Minnesota for opening the dialogue.
