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| GOVERNOR SIGNS OMNIBUS DRUG BILL, INCLUDING SENATOR NELSON’S SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA PROVISIONS | ||||||||||
St.Paul- Governor Mark Dayton signed the omnibus bill on controlled substances Thursday that included measures sponsored by Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester). House File 57 contains provisions that address the growing danger of designer drugs and analogs, which are drugs substantially similar in effect or chemical makeup to controlled substances. Specifically, it makes it illegal to possess synthetic cannabinoids, known as "synthetic marijuana," "K2," or "SPICE,"and Mephedrone , known as “bath salts,” or “plant food” and adds 2C-E,2C-I, and analogs to the Schedule I list of controlled substances.
Senator Nelson’s Senate File 537, which was included in the omnibus drug package, expands the definition of marijuana to include synthetic marijuana. Senator Nelson gave the following statement regarding the bill’s signing into law.
“I’m thrilled that the Governor signed this bill that will give law enforcement and prosecutors the support they need to keep these dangerous, designer drugs off the store shelves and off the street. Designer drugs, like synthetic marijuana, are created and modified by users to skirt the law and represent one of the most significant dangers in the war on drugs,” said Senator Nelson. “I want to thank the team of legislators who worked in a bipartisan fashion to produce this omnibus bill that will make our communities safer.”
