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PALM COAST SEEKING NEW WAY TO OUTLAW SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA

PALM COAST -- Palm Coast officials are working on an ordinance to ban the sale of "herbal incense" by targeting its effect rather than the ever-changing chemical brew chemists cook up to stay ahead of the law when producing synthetic marijuana.

The draft ordinance would ban products that mimic the effects of a controlled substance that could be easily placed into pipes, cigarette papers and other paraphernalia for smoking or inhaling.

The makers of synthetic marijuana have been able to continue selling it as herbal incense because state laws target chemical compounds.  Chemists spray chemicals similar to the THC in marijuana onto blends of leaves and roots, which are then sold as herbal incense.  Chemists merely alter the compounds enough to escape the law.

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