Pubdate: Tue, 01 May 2012
Source: Adirondack Daily Enterprise, The (NY)
Copyright: 2012 The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4413
Author: Chris Morris

SENATE VOTES TO CRIMINALIZE SYNTHETIC POT

The state Senate has passed a bill that would criminalize the sale 
and possession of synthetic marijuana.

Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, sponsored the legislation, which 
would make selling or possessing fake pot brands like K-2 or Kush a 
punishable criminal offense. The bill would also criminalize the sale 
and possession of hallucinogenic chemicals known as "bath salts."

Little said in a prepared statement that synthetic pot and bath salts 
are just as dangerous as illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin.

"I've heard from parents, educators, substance abuse counselors and 
all of my district attorneys urging the state Legislature to make the 
sale and possession of these drugs illegal," she said. "But the most 
compelling pleas have come from teenagers who have used or seen 
someone use these drugs.

"The effects are so alarming that they've asked me to do something," 
Little added. "That says a lot about just how deceptively dangerous 
these drugs are and why it is important we act today and that the 
Assembly joins us in this effort."

Fake pot is sprayed with chemicals known as synthetic cannabinoids 
that, when ingested, can result in side effects like increased heart 
rate, tremors and seizures.

Bath salts are chemically similar to substances like methamphetamines 
and Ecstasy. They can cause psychological and physical harm, and in 
some cases have led to death, according to police.

State police Lt. Brent Davison told the Enterprise earlier this year 
that he's heard of several instances in which users of bath salts 
have checked into the emergency room with "severe problems."

Bath salts and synthetic marijuana have also been tied to criminal 
activity in New York state. Lawmakers said a Glens Falls man, Richard 
Velazquez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week for 
attacking a woman and her infant child. Velazquez admitted in court 
that the synthetic marijuana product he used "contributed to his 
actions," according to a press release from Little's office.

State police believe a pair of Tupper Lake residents who went missing 
in March, along with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a handgun, may have 
been using synthetic meth when the incident occurred. Carl R. Burns 
Jr., 41, and Angela I. Roberts, 23, were acting paranoid and 
irrational when they were taken into custody. Davison said at the 
time one of the side effects of bath salts is "extreme paranoia."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Health took action 
earlier this year to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana, but users 
can still purchase the product online or by going across state lines.

Little said criminalizing the substances would address those issues.

The bill passed Monday would establish penalties for possession and 
sale of synthetic marijuana and bath salts. The penalties would be 
similar to those that currently exist for marijuana and 
methamphetamines. Selling synthetic marijuana or bath salts on school 
grounds would be a class B felony and could net up to 25 years in prison.

The legislation would set up a surrender program to let anyone in 
possession of the substances turn them in to a law enforcement agency 
without penalty. That surrender period would be effective for 90 days 
following enactment of the law.

The bill would also create a statewide database including brand names 
and descriptions of synthetic drugs to make them easy for retailers to identify.
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