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5-HT2A
Registered: 01/30/10 
Posts: 1,794
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Louisiana - Controversial Designer Drugs Face Ban
#14414690 - 05/07/11 11:10 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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http://www.thepelicanpost.org/2011/05/06/controversial-designer-drugs-face-ban-in-louisiana/
NEW ORLEANS, La.- Several states, including Louisiana, are stepping up the fight against the latest designer drugs – synthetic cannabinoids and bath salts – in the wake of high call volumes to poison control centers in recent years.
House Bill 12 would classify synthetic cannabinoids and substituted cathinones (bath salts) as Schedule I substances in the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substance Law, placing them next to heroin and MDMA (ecstasy) at the top of the restrictive drug pyramid.
Rep. Ricky Templet (R – Gretna), the bill’s primary author, claims HB 12 is an emphatic boost to last year’s HB 173, which amended the state’s then marijuana laws so synthetic cannabinoids would command fines and criminal penalties similar to traditional cannabis.
In addition to placing bath salts under state regulation, HB 12 provides a more comprehensive definition of what compounds are outlawed. The intent is to stop producers from distributing derivatives of essentially the same substance and side-stepping regulations.
The American Association for Poison Control Centers has received more than 4,500 calls since 2010 concerning the use of synthetic cannabinoid. And in January, Governor Jindal declared his intention to classify these substances under a Schedule I ban. Several other states have announced similar intentions, including Florida, Alabama, Utah, and Kentucky.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is equally concerned with synthetic cannabinoids, and it has initiated a year-long emergency ban on five chemicals used to create synthetic cannabinoids. They claim this will protect public health and safety until they discern whether the chemicals warrant permanent regulation.
Previous attempts at prohibition have been unsuccessful, since manufacturers no longer able to sell synthetic cannabinoids as herbal incense started labeling the drug as aromatic potpourri. They also added a warning label stating the product is “not for human consumption.”
According to Dan D’Amico, an economics professor at Loyola University New Orleans, the behavior of such firms operating in a legal grey area is hardly surprising.
“Whereas traditional legitimate market producers compete against other producers on quality margins as they are perceived in the mind’s eyes of consumers, black market producers compete on being stealth and/or complying with regulations primarily and consumer perceived quality secondarily. Consumers are the real folks who suffer most.”
In an attempt to mimic the high experienced with traditional marijuana, producers of synthetic cannabinoids spray a blend of herbs and spices with compounds whose chemical structures are reportedly similar to THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in traditional marijuana. Originally developed to determine marijuana’s effects on different receptors in laboratory animals, this drug has the unintended effects of speeding heart rates, raising blood pressure, and inciting nausea.
Dan Francis of the Retail Compliance Association (RCA), claims synthetic cannabinoids first appeared on the market approximately eleven years ago in Europe. The RCA is a group of American retailers who defend the rights of stores to sell synthetic cannabinoids.
Since spreading to the US, the synthetic cannabinoids industry has quickly blossomed into a $5 billion per year industry, despite persistent regulatory backlash.
In a congressional address earlier this month, Mr. Francis explained that lawmakers and the media alike are ignorant to the important scientific distinctions between marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids.
“These compounds are for the most part very simple compounds, that have nothing whatsoever to do with natural cannabis or THC… The very basis of many lawmakers negative opinions is simply that the name is similar to cannabis.”
Francis considers HB 12 and other similar legislation to be ill-conceived, over-reactions on the behalf of legislators, who advocate a more thorough understanding of the products before allowing them to be sold on the open market.
“We don’t disagree that we need to study them, but these are incredible things that could lead to potential cures and therapies,” says Dan Francis, RCA’s executive director.
Francis also warns that the unintended consequences of prohibition could cause more harm than good.
“Cartels and drug lords who would be the ones that replaced the legitimate businesses if a ban is passed.”
Although adamant defenders of retailers that sell synthetic cannabinoids, RCA has yet to defend the market for substituted cathinones, more commonly known as “bath salts”.
Unlike synthetic cannabinoids, bath salts have developed a reputation as powerful stimulants. An experience taking bath salts is meant to reflect a high similar to cocaine or MDMA, though recently medical professions have drawn a more direct comparison to methamphetamine and even PCP.
According to Mark Ryan, Director of the Louisiana Poison Center, the effects of bath salts are some of worst he has witnessed in two decades.
Last year, Louisiana centers responded to at least 85 instances, more than 54% of the national total. In 2011, there are have already been ten times number as many cases nationwide.
“These products create a very severe paranoia that we believe could cause users to harm themselves or others,” he said.
House Bill 12 will be heard on Wednesday, May 11th by the Criminal Justice Committee.
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2jew4u
Stranger
Registered: 04/07/11
Posts: 1,014
Last seen: 12 years, 5 months
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Re: Louisiana - Controversial Designer Drugs Face Ban [Re: 5-HT2A]
#14415522 - 05/07/11 02:28 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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They should just make a trade to save money,Legalize pot, then they could ban all the Jwh-compounds or what ever, and throw in all the Bathsalts you want with that ban. But if not people are going to keep on trying new products, Their are 300 plus Jwh compounds and 100 plus known cathones so you tell me,they are really behind on all that shit. They have Freebase(smokable) bathsalts,designed that way. Wait till that shit makes the news. Like the new form of crack.
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guest1
Mycena




Registered: 05/25/09
Posts: 852
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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Re: Louisiana - Controversial Designer Drugs Face Ban [Re: 2jew4u]
#14415786 - 05/07/11 03:28 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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The thing that pisses me off about this ban, is that the 2 cannabinoids that caused the most problem (018 and 073), are already banned now (temporarily, but possibly forever), and their using information about the problems from the banned ones, as reasons to ban the new ones that don't cause the problems!
It would be like if they found out that blue-cheese was sending people to the hospital, and so they banned blue-cheese, then they said that all cheese must be banned because it is sending people to the hospital, yet it was only blue-cheese that was a problem and since its banned, banning the other cheese is just for spite. (this is an example, cheese isn't banned).
Also, with "deaths" from cannabinoids, their ALL SUICIDES! Since when did a suicide have anything to do with being considered a "death" from anything? If someone commits suicide, do they say "well there was a death as a result of working at Walmart"? Of course not. What if the employee had consumed coffee that morning? Was it the coffee's fault the person committed suicide? Did they drive a car? If so, was it the car's fault? How about the parents? Did the person have parents, if so, was it the parents fault? How about the government? Is it because of the users view of the government that they committed suicide? Serious, stop pointing fingers. Stop suing the Twinkie factory because you eat 30 of them every day for 20 years and have health problems.
I do agree that if they would just legalize the possession and sale of cannabis, that they would not only ruin the illegal drug trade for cannabis, but also for these synthetics. As it has been stated, a lot of people turn to the legal alternatives only because they don't want to do something illegal, they want to be honest law abiding citizens and do not want to be punished or prohibited. If people could choose to go to a store and buy a pack of cannabis cigarettes or bags of cannabis, as opposed to sketchy research chemicals, most of them will go with the trustworthy cannabis. When people have to choose between illegal cannabis and legal alternatives, it depends on the individuals belief on how likely they are to be caught with the illegal cannabis. The more immune a person thinks they are to the law, the more likely they choose cannabis, the more likely they think they are of being caught, the more likely they are to choose legal alternatives.
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