The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) today commended House and Senate negotiators for
agreeing on legislation to control 26 synthetic drugs under the Controlled
Substances Act. These drugs include those commonly found in products
marketed as “K2” and “Spice.”
The addition of these chemicals
to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act will be included as part of
S. 3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.
Schedule I substances are those with a high potential for abuse; have no
medical use in treatment in the United States; and lack an accepted safety
for use of the drug.
In addition to scheduling the 26
drugs, the new law would double the length of time a substance may be
temporarily placed in schedule I (from 18 to 36 months). In addition
to explicitly naming 26 substances, the legislation creates a new
definition for “cannabamimetic agents,” creating criteria by which similar
chemical compounds are controlled.
In recent years, a growing
number of dangerous products have been introduced into the U.S.
marketplace. Products labeled as “herbal incense” have become
especially popular, especially among teens and young adults. These
products consist of plant material laced with synthetic cannabinoids which,
when smoked, mimic the delirious effects of THC, the psychoactive
ingredient of marijuana. According to the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime, more than 100 such substances have been synthesized and
identified to date. DEA has used its emergency scheduling authority
to place in schedule I several of these harmful chemicals.
Newly developed drugs,
particularly from the “2C family” (dimethoxyphenethylamines), are generally
referred to as synthetic psychedelic/hallucinogens. 2C-E caused the recent
death of a 19 year-old in Minnesota.
The substances added to Schedule
I of the Controlled Substances Act also include 9 different 2C chemicals,
and 15 different synthetic cannabanoids.
The American Association of
Poison Control Centers reported that they received 6,959 calls related to
synthetic marijuana in 2011, up from 2,906 in 2010.