Synthetic marijuana ban passes Minnesota House

By Hart Van Denburg Fri., Feb. 25 2011 at 11:09 AM

The crackdown passes the House.

The Minnesota House has voted nearly unanimously to crack down on the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana. And a last-minute amendment will also make driving while under its influence a prosecutable offense.

K2, Spice, Demon, Triple X, Mr. Nice Guy--whatever you want to call the chemically treated concoction--has come under increasing fire from state and local lawmakers for months.

Contrary to the views of users and head shop owners, law-and-order types view it as a significant public health threat. Either way, it's grown in popularity, as we told you in a cover story last year.

Soon to be illegal.

"Synthetic marijuana is a dangerous misnomer," St. Peter DFLer Terry Morrow said yesterday. "We're talking about a dangerous chemical that's being smoked by high school and college kids and others."

HF 57 passed by 124-4 vote. But it's not clear how soon the Senate will take up the measure, because no one has yet sponsored the legislation there. (Read the bill here.)

More synthetic marijuana coverage:

Tags:

K2, marijuana, Minnesota Legislature, synthetic marijuana, weed

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anewday23

Lawmakers are in the process of closing any loopholes that currently exist with laws pertaining to some herbal incense products, but there efforts will prove to be fruitless in the end. The prohibition of marijuana has created this demand for legal marijuana alternatives. A rather prosperous niche that will be tapped into for as long as marijuana continues to be illegal. There are many places one may still buy k2 incense and according to the vendors, like http://www.buyherbalincense.co... the k2 herb products they sell are legal everywhere.

anewday23

When will we learn that drug prohibition is absolutely futile especially in the case of k2 herb products? Not all of this k2 incense stuff is illegal. They are constantly reformulating it to get around these bans so people will continue to legally buy k2 products and I guess the big dogs will continue to waste money on chasing it down.

Legal

whats dangerous is that kids have to turn to crap like this because marijuana is outlawed. one SURE FIRE way of eliminating synthetic marijuana, and probably the only way really is to just go ahead and leaglaize marijuana. if not fully legalize it, at least remove the felonies and prison sentences for its users. the greatest harm of marijuana is getting caught and having your life ruined at a young age from a plant that has grown on this earth longer than any of us have been alive.

Kirk the Conservative Jerk

Oh my God Hart! Your actually suggesting people should "read the bill" and you're providing a link to the bill!

Yeah!

That's what I like to see. People actually reading these things for themselves. So many people are "mind warped" by liberal media spin and haven't a clue to what is issue actually is! When was the last time a liberal wanted you to do the research for yourself? Usually they will interpret it and translate it to you (with one sided political spin) because you're too stupid.

Kudos to you Hart!

t_bone_30

you are a really lonely person

Kirk the Conservative Jerk

Oh, Oh! The law is tougher for "synthetic THC" than it is for "real THC"

Real Marijuana law =Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana, Minnesota Statutes §152.027, subd. 4. A "small amount" of marijuana is defined in §152.01, subd. 16 as 42.5 grams or less (roughly an ounce-and-a-half or less). Normally a person adjudicated guilty of violating this provision ends up with a "petty misdemeanor" -- with rare exceptions noted in that section. A petty misdemeanor in Minnesota is a civil infraction, and is not a crime. A person cannot lawfully be arrested for a petty misdmeanor, nor is any jail sentence possible from a petty misdemeanor. There are possible criminal misdemeanor consequences in this sectin of statute however, at Minnesota Statutes §152.027, subd. 4 (b), (c).

Synthetic THC =form "H.F. No. 57"(b) A person who unlawfully possesses any amount of a synthetic cannabinoid is guilty of a misdemeanor. (lines 1.12 & 1.13)

One is a petty misdemeanor - One is a misdemeanorSending emails now. This will be amended to match the current law of a petty misdemeanor.