| And so we near the end of legal, fake weed. |
The Missouri House finalized its bill banning K2 synthetic marijuana last night, then sent the legislation on to Gov. Jay Nixon. Assuming Nixon signs it -- which is likely -- Missouri will become the second state in the nation (after Kansas) to ban the faux-reefer.
The bill aligns penalties for possession of K2 with those in place for possession of real marijuana. Possession of less than 35 grams of pot is a misdemeanor. The new legislation has been described as targeting K2 manufacturers more than than punishing the average smoker.
In case you've been out of state for the last eight months, K2 uses synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073 to simulate marijuana's effects on the brain.
The drugs were originally created as part of medical research, and still have potential to treat neurological disorders, according to some scientists (see the feature story, "Fake Reefer Madness," for more on that).
So far, the potential for recreational fun seems to outweigh the research benefits in the eyes of most politicians.
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