Chafee Signs Bills Outlawing Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones will be placed on the highly-regulated Schedule I drug list, and their manufacture, sale and use in Rhode Island will be banned.

 Often referred to or marketed as “synthetic pot,” “herbal incense,” “spice” and “bath salts,” these drugs are much more dangerous than their naturally-occurring counterparts. Unlike the drugs they try to mimic, synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones have been known to cause people to become violent or delirious, and can also cause high blood pressure, vomiting, and a number of deadly health complications.

Signed into law by Gov. Lincoln Chafee were two companion bills — Senate bill 2013-S 0454A, introduced by Sen. Stephen R. Archambault (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Providence, Johnston) and House bill, 2013-H 5325A, sponsored by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston). The bills were introduced at the request of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.

Leading authorities on drugs in the U.S. have issued some grim statistics regarding synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 16 cases of serious kidney damage caused by synthetic cannabis products last year, none of which were deadly but five of which required dialysis.

Additionally, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that in 2010 there were nearly 3,000 calls to poison control centers in the U.S. for exposure to synthetic cannabis. This number ballooned to 7,000 calls in 2011 before a number of states started banning the drugs, decreasing the number of calls to 5,200 in 2012.

 “The growing availability and use of synthetic drugs in our society, especially among young people, is alarming and deadly,” said Attorney General Kilmartin. “Synthetic drugs are the new frontier in the war on drugs and we must provide law enforcement with the tools to effectively prosecute those who manufacture, distribute and possess the drugs and chemical compounds.”

With the governor’s signature, the ban on the substances takes immediate effect.

The House bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Arthur J. Corvese (D-Dist. 55, North Providence), Rep. Maria E. Cimini (D-Dist. 7, Providence), Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Cranston, Warwick) and Rep. Agostinho F. Silva (D-Dist. 56,Central Falls). Co-sponsors of the Senate bill are Sen. Marc A. Cote (D-Dist. 24, North Smithfield, Woonsocket), Sen. Frank Lombardi (D-Dist. 26, Cranston), Sen. William J. Conley Jr. (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket) and Sen. James E. Doyle II (D-Dist. 8, Pawtucket).