Breaking News:Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies [REPORT]

Prohibition: Kansas Becomes First State to Ban K2

Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson signed into law Tuesday HB 2411, which adds certain synthetic cannabinoids to the state's list of controlled substances. The bill is aimed directly at products containing a mixture of herbs and a synthetic cannabinoid, JWH-018, which was isolated by a Clemson University researcher more than a decade ago. The products are sold under a variety of names, including Spice and K2.

https://stopthedrugwar.org/files/spicedrug.jpg
''spice'' packet (courtesy wikimedia.org)
Kansas thus becomes the first state to ban K2, although a handful of localities in the region have already done so. A similar bill is working its way through the legislature in neighboring Missouri, and one is about to be introduced in Georgia.

Users report a marijuana-like high from the blends. Although there have been some isolated reports of adverse reactions, the number appears relatively small compared to the reported massive sales of the blends.

Under the new law, which goes into effect upon publication in the state register later this month, possession of K2 becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2500 fine. That's the same potential punishment as awaits someone busted for small-time marijuana possession in the Jayhawk State.

"This legislation has received overwhelming support by Kansas law enforcement and the legislature," said Parkinson in a signing statement. "It will help improve our communities by bettering equipping law enforcement officers in addressing this issue and deterring Kansans from drug use."

The governor is certainly correct about who supported the bill. Testifying for it were representatives of the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association, the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, the Kansas Sheriffs Association, the Kansas Peace Officers Association, and the Kansas Board of Pharmacy.

Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!

HELP!! I've been robbed!

They SHOULD ban this crap! $200 per half-ounce? Weed is WAY cheaper. What a rip-off!

K2

Actually its not illegal here in kansas yet, but its sells $45 for half ounce, depends on the type you get, otherwise you can buy it from Potpourri sites and combine the material and make your own back lacing it though.

McD's picture

Daylight Robbery

The cost price, FOB from China, is about $0.07 per dose (1/3 to 1/2) gram. A couple of years ago it was comparatively cheap - less than £6.00 per 1/2 gram joint in the UK. Still more expensive than proper gear, but not too extortionate.

Malkavian's picture

Again the WoD gets it ass backwards

Very few people would demand JWH-018, a synthethic cannabinoid, if normal cannabis was legal.

@Anonynous coward: you should probably be aware that a good starting dose with JWH-018 is 2-5 mg. And I'm not kidding either. This is strong stuff, and quite cheap when bought in powder form (but harder to dose, obviously)

Thing is, as long as weed isn't legal, such things are just going to get worse. There are far more dangerous cannabinoids out there that are getting to resemble the potency more like LSD. So now people are allegedly working on making synthethic cannabinoid blotters or stamps. It will, of course, be a riot and sales will go up - not only can MMJ patients now bring some for their flights, but the stealth capability of synth. cannabinoids is not to be trifled with when the alternative is 10 years in prison and the loss of all of your property, wife and children.

Don't you get those spice

Don't you get those spice packs free at lil Ceasers?

K2

These 2 headlines are on the same page:

"Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced in Kansas on January 28, 2008"

"Prohibition: Kansas Becomes First State to Ban Synthetic Cannabinoid Blends Such As K2, Spice"

Does this not seem like a contradiction? Marijuana now, after decades of illegality has now been proven to have medicinal value and may even prevent cancer.

They're banning K2 because they don't know what it does? Is that a reason to ban anything? If it's banned, no one will be able to test it. Ever. It may be the cure to cancer, and it will never be known. Will it stop people from abusing drugs? Of course not. You're a fool if you believe that.

In highschool, I could find marijuanna WAY easier than I could find alcohol. Alcohol required me to prove my age, or find someone willing to buy it for me (which surprisingly, most people would not) - But Marijuana could readily be purchased from my friends and classmates on a weekly basis. I wouldn't have known what drugs where if it weren't for the D.A.R.E. program. I had no interest in such substances until someone told me "better not try it!" -- That just made me want to do it more, and so I did.

The more people you lock up for smoking plants, the less people can get jobs with criminal records. Then your tax dollars go back to those very same people in the form of welfare checks and food stamps. Wake up, you prohibitionists are CAUSING our drug problem.

If recreational drugs have no value, then ban tobacco and alcohol (both cause more deaths every year than all illicit drugs combined) - Otherwise, shut up and let people consume what they want to.

"Protect me from the protectors."

suprising

This really surprises me. Not that they banned it, but that they didn't ban it sooner.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <i> <blockquote> <p> <address> <pre> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <br> <b>

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Drug War Issues

Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (2011 Drug War Killings, 2012 Drug War Killings, 2013 Drug War Killings, 2014 Drug War Killings, 2015 Drug War Killings, 2016 Drug War Killings, 2017 Drug War Killings, Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency and Pardon, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Defelonization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, Television, TheaterDrug UseParaphernalia, Vaping, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Violence, Border, Budgets/Taxes/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Economics, Education (College Aid), Employment, Environment, Families, Free Speech, Gun Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Money Laundering, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Science, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyGateway Theory, Hemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Marijuana Industry, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Science of Drugs, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment (Science of Drugs), Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Pill Testing, Safer Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Heroin, Ibogaine, ketamine, Khat, Kratom, Marijuana (Gateway Theory, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, New Synthetic Drugs (Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Stimulants), Nicotine, Prescription Opiates (Fentanyl, Oxycontin), Psilocybin / Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum)YouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School