Obama to sign ban on synthetic marijuana

Obama to sign ban on synthetic marijuana

A federal ban on synthetic marijuana and hallucinogenic bath salts is on its way to President Barack Obama for final approval after passing the Senate this week, Sen. Charles Schumer said.

The bill, sponsored by Schumer (D-N.Y.), prohibits the sale of 31 chemical substances sold online, in convenience stores and in smoke shops as synthetic marijuana, bath salts and synthetic hallucinogens.

The drugs, bearing names like Tranquility, Zoom and Legal Phunk, have been reported to provoke fits of violence, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, mirroring the side effects caused by cocaine and methamphetamines.

"We have seen bath salts involved in some of the most heinous crimes in recent months," Schumer said in a statement.

The federal legislation, passed Tuesday by the Senate and approved earlier by the House, follows state and county efforts to block the sale of synthetic cannabis.

In March, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered a statewide ban on the sale of the incense-like substances. Suffolk County passed a ban in March, and the Nassau County Legislature followed suit in May.

Last year, New York outlawed the distribution of mephedrone and MDPV -- man-made substances used to make the powdery bath salts, which users typically inhale. Read More...