Schumer Visits White Plains to Urge Ban on Synthetic Herbal Drugs

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was in Westchester Tuesday calling for the speedy passage of the David Mitchell Rozga Act to ban the sale of synthetic herbal products making it an illegal substance, on the same level as cocaine.

“These drugs are wreaking havoc on our youth and have no place in our schools or on our streets, and certainly not on convenience store shelves,” said the New York Democrat, in a press release. “We need to pass this bill now to get this poison out of Westchester’s stores and make it absolutely clear that these drugs won’t be tolerated.”

In his visit to the Hon. Charles L. Brieant Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse courthouse in White Plains—Schumer was joined by the White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong, White Plains Youth Bureau Director Frank Williams, Westchester County Student Assistance Services Director Ellen Morehouse, White Plains Community Cares Director Monica Gonzalez, and other individuals in the community working against substance abuse.

The Issue

Schumer was also in Rochester last week to warn local communities about synthetic marijuana and synthetic herbal products, which are being sold as potpourri and incense, known as “K2” or “Spice.” These products are not being marketed for human consumption, however individuals are smoking them to experience a drug-like high that allows one to pass a drug test.

However, these synthetic compounds are reported to cause seizures, hallucinations, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and panic attacks, as well as dangerous and erratic behavior.

Three men were hospitalized in Harrison in July 2011 after smoking a substance similar to K-2, which was confiscated from four Louis M. Klein Middle School students earlier that spring. Three people were also hospitalized in Rockland County last year after smoking a similar product to K-2 which produced"catatonic and hallucinogenic behavior." According to Schumer, poison control centers reported only 13 calls concerning these products in 2009, which increased to 6,500 in 2011. 

“Powdered cocaine wouldn’t be legal just because you stamped ‘powered sugar’ on the bag,” said Schumer. “Synthetic marijuana shouldn’t be legal just because it masquerades as potpourri. We need to pass this bill now and get these dangerous drugs out of convenience stores before they do even more harm.”

The David Mitchell Rozga Act

The David Mitchell Rozga Act, named after an 18-year-old whose death was attributed to smoking K-12, would make chemicals the Drug Enforcement Agency has identified within synthetic marijuana products a Schedule I narcotic, which includes drugs like crystal meth and cocaine.

The legislations would also “cast a wide net” on existing marijuana products and other possible chemical combinations that would create similar products. This would prevent chemists from altering their compounds and re-packaging their products to avoid prosecution. 

“We need a clear, tough law that gets these drugs off the shelves, and ensures that no amount of clever chemistry can bring them back,” said Schumer. 

The bill has already passed the House. The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed several bills to combat synthetic drugs, which form the basis of the House-passed legislation. These bills also include the ban of synthetic bath salts, which was described as “an emerging domestic threat,” in a July 2011 report from the U.S. Drug Intelligence Center, that could pose a challenge for law enforcement officials.

Schumer wants to see the president immediately sign the bill into law, which would also double the timeframe the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services have to emergency schedule substances from 18 months to 36 months.

The Dissent

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has put a hold on three Senate bills that would ban these synthetic drugs sighting that drug enforcement laws should be local and state issues—and that the federal government has the authority to ban synthetic-drug chemicals without Congress having to act, according to The Kansas City Star.

Roaring Republican.com said Schumer—who is also calling for a study on the legality of a new caffeine inhaler—is encouraging a “nanny state” and that government shouldn’t be responsible for “stopping Americans from themselves.”

“I hate every kind of drug abuse from alcohol to cocaine and I feel for the parents of children who find themselves lost in the horrible world of addiction,” a Feb. 13 post reads. “With that said, decades of fighting a ‘war on drugs’ has proven a fruitless and losing battle for our government—which is always ten steps behind the latest and greatest in illicit behavior. More than that, it is a war fought against something that sadly cannot be controlled, flawed human nature.”

What do you think?

• Do you think the federal government should ban synthetic drug compounds?
• Should this be left up to state and local governments?
• What should be done to prevent youth from taking using synthetic drugs?
• Tell us what you think in the comments

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