Prohibition: Ban on Spice, BZP Passes Kansas Senate

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #618)
Politics & Advocacy
State & Local Legislatures
Prohibition

The Kansas Senate has approved a bill that would ban three synthetic drugs that have effects similar to marijuana and ecstasy. In a 36-1 vote on January 21, the Senate voted to ban a pair of synthetic compounds called JW-018 and JW-073, which are part of a legal smoking blend marketed under names such as Spice or K2, and to ban BZP (benzylpiperazine), a stimulant which is already a Schedule I controlled substance under US federal law.

[inline:spicedrug.jpg align=right caption="''spice'' packet (courtesy wikimedia.org)"]A similar measure is working its way through the Kansas House.

The move to criminalize the synthetic drugs came at the behest of Kansas law enforcement, which worried that teenagers were using the substances. But while Spice is sold in Kansas shops, there is little evidence of widespread teen use and even less evidence of any harmful results from it.

Only state Sen. David Haley (D-Kansas City) voted against the bill. He accused his colleagues of "political posturing" and responding to "hysteria for what is by and large a benign substance." Banning relatively safe substances like Spice could be a fool's errand, he said: "As our youth and others continue to search for legal ways to expand their flights of fancy I fear they will encounter more dangerous ways than what we ban here."

But legislators were unswayed by Haley's logic, preferring instead that of state Sen. Jim Barnett (R-Emporia). "It's an imitation drug, but it's still a drug," he said, explaining his vote.

While the synthetic compounds in Spice are arguably legal under US federal law, they have been banned in Austria, Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Sweden. In addition to being banned under US federal law, BZP has been criminalized in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

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Comments

charles (not verified)

what does the different names like gold diamond and stuff like that mean is that the strength of it or different flavors or is it just a different kind?

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 1:58pm Permalink
Cash-U, tha #1… (not verified)

It is, in some cases the strength & flavor. I tell you this, this product is no more of a problem than caffine. Alcohol is more of a problem. Its not treating to your health. The parents comment before maybe valid in saying that it caused health problems for her son, but theres gonna be side effects to everything. I smoke it & Im just fine. I have a healthy appetite, I workout, & Im retaining a job with no problems between me, my bosses, or customers. I had also been smoking "marijuana" for 14 years prior and I feel a hole lot better, physically.

Thu, 04/15/2010 - 8:14pm Permalink
v (not verified)

My son was using this for three months. He smoked too much of it and developed the following symptoms. He became very ill from it and lost 15 pounds in 7 days due to the fact that he could not eat food and barely was able to keep down water. He went through severe withdrawals and had the sweats, tremors, racing heart rate, mood swings, took showers constantly to get his mind off of his severe stomach pain, wanted his feet rubbed to also help relieve the pain, was very weak, light-headed, could not walk without help, and stated, "This is worse than marijuana!" It makes me so angry that tobacco shops and convenience stores in our area are selling this stuff. The kids at school know that it does not test positive and gives them a legal high. The stores sell it by the gram for $20 and get away with it, because they say it is botanical incense and it is not for human consumption. This is an extremely dangerous product that must be declared illegal in our nation. Even minors are able to purchase it from some stores. Please...don't let your child use this stuff! It is addictive and it is a drug! They are smoking it and not using it to burn for incense! These people know what our kids are doing with it and they are profitting off of the destruction of the minds of our young people! Please speak to your narcotics burea, legislators, school boards, churches, neighborhood watch programs, newspapers, television stations.

I am a parent who thought my child was going to die from this product.

Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:32pm Permalink
smarter than most (not verified)

"They are smoking it and not using it to burn for incense!"
You should probably watch your child closer. It does say NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. You should have stopped your son after you found out he smoked it the first time. If you inhale enough gasoline you die, but you dont see everyone wanting a ban on cars. I feel sorry for my America and my fellow Americans. Stop blaming other people for your mistakes, and stop buying into the mass hysteria.
And yes, certain things affect people differently. Hospitals have killed people who they gave a certain medicine to that had ALLERGIC REACTIONS, but I don't see a ban on asprin. But yeah, attack the convenient stores, not the MULTIBILLION DOLLAR PHARMASEUTICAL COMPANIES THAT PUT OUT DRUGS THAT KILL PEOPLE EVERYSINGLE DAY.
The answer to this problem is quite simple, but lets all just panic instead.
AND WHERES THE BAN ON CIGARETTES???!!!!
Stop being so dumb people. Think for yourselves. Do some research.

Mon, 06/14/2010 - 9:33pm Permalink
Voodoo Child (not verified)

I don't know if you've considered other alternatives to your son's symptoms, but it really makes me wonder how much research you've actually done (if any). If you did read up on it, then you would know that what your son was experiencing is more than a little atypical of what any cannabanoid would do. I.E. vomiting for a week straight, body aches, etc. It is possible that he was having a reaction to the synthetic form of the drug, but if he was smoking it for 3 months, and never had a problem before, I would guess that's probably not it. The symptoms you described sound a lot more like OPIATE withdrawal (to a T in fact). So maybe Johnny wasn't playing straight with you. I only bring this up, because in this society, where 90% of the people I run into's cholesterol is higher than their IQ, people are always so quick to try to outlaw any mind altering substance. This ignorance is the reason that people dying incredibly painful deaths from cancer have to jump thru hoops to get medication to properly manage their pain, since doctors are scared to write a script for anything stronger than Vicodin. Its also the reason I have a family friend who chose to go terminal, rather than go thru chemotherapy again. Since the pot she could be using to alleviate the negative symptoms remains illegal here. And for all you out there who have the "pot is bad because its illegal, mmmm-kay," outlook; did you know that the only reason it was outlawed in the first place was so the authorities could use its illegality to control minorities (esp. Mexicans) in the south? So, for all you anti-drug hardliners, all you are doing is supporting a century-old law, based entirely on racism!
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 9:49pm Permalink
dont belive th… (not verified)

Wow let the hysteria commence... Reefer madness all over again. I have an idea lets legalize a drug that is responsible for liver damage and countless deaths, its called alcohol, oh wait its already legal. Now lets take a harmless herb and put it next to meth and heroin. How about a drug that is more addictive than heroin and more poisonous than rattlesnake venom and lets allow it to kill 400,000 americans every yea.r It has a name rednecks ,tobacco and its illegal to grow yourself unless you own a completely unregulated company to market it to youth. Oh and by the way no one has ever died from spice products look it up you ignorant mother a little research will do you well

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 2:41am Permalink
Anonymous02 (not verified)

I agree with that. Alcohol is more potent than spice ever will be....in Oklahoma in order to purchase spice you have to be over the age of 21 JUST LIKE ALCOHOL. Do the research about what kinds of medical illnesses it helps....I can tell you my sister-in-law has LUPUS and it helps her out tremendously well. if they raise the legal age it probly wouldn't that big of a problem

Wed, 04/14/2010 - 2:44pm Permalink
tomeeka (not verified)

Fine, ban spice!!! Bring back marijuana! It's natural and probably safer anyways. The more they keep taking away from us the more ways we will find to do what we want. It's never going to end!!! They should just give it up and let us live!!! Why do they have to control every aspect of our lives?!

Thu, 06/10/2010 - 4:27pm Permalink
Anonymousert (not verified)

Lady, the symptoms your son had werent from smoking some herbal incense. Its morons like this that cause hysteria. Just do a home drug test on him and find out what hes really been using. Probably opiates. Before anything like this is banned, they should ban alcohol. How many people die from drunk driving? This is a country for idiots and by idiots
Fri, 01/21/2011 - 7:53pm Permalink

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