Pubdate: Tue, 01 May 2012
Source: Adirondack Daily Enterprise, The (NY)
Copyright: 2012 The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4413
Author: Chris Morris

RALLY: BAN SYNTHETIC POT

Officials, Teens Urge State Legislature to Criminalize K-2, Kush and 
Similar Products

ELIZABETHTOWN - More than 200 people, mostly teenage students, 
gathered on the lawn in front the Essex County government complex 
Monday morning to support a ban on synthetic marijuana.

The event was organized by the county district attorney's office and 
Community Resources Department. County lawmakers, community members 
and students from across the region turned out for the rally, which 
concluded with a march around Elizabethtown.

These students and officials want the state to criminalize the sale 
and possession of synthetic marijuana, and the state Senate passed 
legislation on Monday to do just that. The bill now awaits approval 
in the Assembly.

"A few short months ago, a public meeting right here in this very 
building, in our county, started a momentous movement across our 
state to try and ban the now infamous K-2, Spice, Posh - whatever 
word you want to call it," said District Attorney Kristy Sprague. 
"That little county meeting exploded into a grassroots movement that 
is being recognized not only by state officials but by federal officials."

Back in January, Lewis town Supervisor David Blades urged the county 
Board of Supervisors to address what he called a growing epidemic: 
the use of synthetic marijuana by teens and adults across the North Country.

The fake pot-like substance is packaged under names like "herbal 
incense" and "potpourri," and brands like K-2, Spice, Demon and Kush 
are sold legally, on the Internet and in stores, to buyers over the 
age of 18. When smoked or ingested, they give users a high similar to 
that of cannabis, but the side effects can be dangerous - increased 
heart rate, paranoia, psychosis, vomiting and seizures - according to 
law enforcement and public health officials.

Since Blades first brought the issue before the county, officials 
have hosted forums in area schools to spread the word about the 
dangers of synthetic cannabis products. Some students like Brody 
Hooper, a junior at Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School, have taken 
part in those presentations.

Hooper was recognized for his efforts at Monday's rally.

"I was really excited to come here today, hoping that legislation was 
going to be passed against this," he said.

Sam Politi, a student at Willsboro Central School, also spoke at 
Monday's rally. He said synthetic marijuana isn't just a drug - it's 
also a poison.

"I have witnessed friends seize and foam at the mouth from using K-2, 
and it's (one of) the scariest moments of my life," Politi said. "But 
I'm not speaking to preach my opinions on drugs and anti-drug use, 
but to denounce the poison that has harmed kids and adults alike. 
Action needs to be taken, and legislation needs to be signed, to 
eradicate this atrocity from our young and growing nation."

Essex County Sheriff Richard Cutting told the crowd that synthetic 
marijuana was never meant for human consumption. He read testimonials 
from people who used the products, including one that was written by 
a person who saw a friend end up in the hospital with brain damage.

Cutting said one of the worst duties a police officer has to perform 
is speaking with parents after something bad happens to their child.

"As I look at this group today, I see promise, and I see a concern 
for this very dangerous substance - a real concern and a willingness 
to do something about it," he said. "For almost all of you, I can say 
I don't know your parents, simply because I haven't met them. My plea 
to you is, please, let me meet them at a ball game, or at the store, 
or at the fair; don't let me meet them as that officer knocking on 
their door late at night."

Katie Romano is a senior at Saranac Lake High School and vice 
president of Students Against Destructive Decisions. She told the 
Enterprise her group has been trying to educate students in Saranac 
Lake about fake pot products because people are getting hurt when 
they use them.

"They kind of made them to make an excuse up for real marijuana, 
saying that it's OK, and for people to say, 'Oh, you can do this, but 
you can't do marijuana,'" Romano said. "It's doing the same thing, though."

Sprague said the U.S. Attorney's Office has recognized Essex County's 
efforts to combat synthetic marijuana. She said lobbying by county 
officials like Jay town Supervisor Randy Douglas helped push state 
lawmakers to pass legislation criminalizing the sale and possession 
of fake pot brands. Before that bill was passed on Monday, the state 
took civil action to ban the products.

Sprague said the best way to combat dangerous substances is by 
recognizing the problem before it becomes an epidemic.

"And I am proud to say that Essex County stood up, we recognized the 
problems in our own communities, banded together in a united front, 
and took steps to rid our local stores of these poisons months before 
the civil ban," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom