Representative Thompson: Crackdown on new street drug

REP. THOMPSON, STATE PHARMACY BOARD WORK TO CRACKDOWN ON NEW STREET DRUG
Thanks to Rep. Thompson’s Efforts, State Board Moves to Control “K2”
By House Republican Office,

SALEM— The efforts of Rep. Jim Thompson (Dallas) to remove a new street drug from our communities has taken a major step forward. The Oregon State Board of Pharmacy took action October 13 declaring a marijuana substitute, sold a K2, Spice, or Gold, a controlled substance. Thompson, who has been working with the Board for the past two months on this issue, praised the Board of Pharmacy for their fast action on stemming this new problem. “This speed of action from a regulatory board is almost unheard of,” Rep. Thompson said. “Hopefully we can remove this product before it becomes a greater problem for police, schools, and the young people who are using this drug.”

K2 has become a herbal alternative to marijuana and was not regulated in Oregon until now. K2 is considered a synthetic form of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, but more powerful. It leads to hallucinations, anxiety, and dangerously increased heart rate.

“Because the active ingredient is applied to dried plant material it looks like marijuana, smokes like marijuana, and gets you high similar to marijuana but has been perfectly legal to buy until now,” Rep. Thompson said.

A number of states have banned this product or are in the process of doing so. Distributors have skirted legal issues by labeling K2 as “not for human consumption.” Thompson has been working with the City of Dallas Police Department, Polk County District Attorney’s office, and other law enforcement agencies to bring K2 under control.

Additional information is available on the Board of Pharmacy web site at www.pharmacy.state.or.us or from Rep. Jim Thompson at 503-508-0919.

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