Move to ban synthetic marijuana advances in Minn.
Published 8:02 am Friday, April 8, 2011
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A move to prohibit synthetic substances that mimic marijuana and other drugs is gaining traction at the Capitol.
A Senate public safety panel voted Thursday to consider incorporating the proposal into a larger drug bill.
That vote came hours after the full House added a synthetic marijuana ban to a health and welfare spending package early Thursday.
Both bills would punish the sale of the substances — often marketed as incense or bath salts — with fines of up to $3,000. Possession would be a misdemeanor carrying penalties of up to 90 days in jail, fines of up to $1,000 or both.
Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem told the Senate committee that drug users on probation are openly using synthetic substances because they’re still legal.
