I’m sure most of you have heard about the “Herbal Incense” sold in gas stations throughout the nation that um …gets you high. On July 1, the two primary active ingredients in these products that have marijuana-like effects on those who smoke them will no longer be legal to sell or purchase, thanks to a bill passed by the Alabama Legislature (unanimously) and signed by Gov. Bob Riley.
The substances in question : salvia divinorum and K2
When smoked, salvia provides users with a hallucinogenic high. Legal herbs containing K2 – or synthetic marijuana – will also become illegal under the same bill. K2 is a chemical spray that mimics the effects of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. It appeared in the U.S. a year ago and it’s seen as the new “legal” high. The cannabis-like chemicals appear on the Drug Enforcement Administration web site as a “drug and chemical of concern.”
A U.S. scientist created the drug mimicking marijuana in 1995 to help chemo therapy patients get back their appetite, but unlike marijuana, testing in humans has never been done. Since the drug is not federally regulated, it dodges traditional drug tests.
Kansas was the first state to outlaw herbal incense blends like K2 and Alabama is the second. Six other states are close: Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Illinois. Alabama is the 17th state to ban salvia.
The recently passed Alabama legislation means possession of the products will become a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, and selling the products will be a felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison.
Local “SERENITY INSENCE AND SWERVE HERBAL INSENCE” commercial
That’s the most Going-For-It voiceover I’ve heard in a good while.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a product from anyone that can’t spell it correctly…
June 23rd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Where exactly did the author get his/her information, or shall I say misinformation? K2 is not a chemical substance, but a particular brand of herbal incense. The 3 chemicals that have been banned are HU-210, JWH-018 and JWH-073. Salvia divinorum has absolutely nothing to do with herbal incense. It just happened to be tacked onto the bill at the last minute. The article also fails to mention that these products are not marketed for smoking purposes and include warnings against human consumption of any kind.
June 28th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
I am not sure of the exact chemical components that are in “gas station weed”. Clearly this product was created as a legal alternative to smoking cannabis. The price was astronomical compared to any “regular” incense. To say it was “not marketed for smoking purposes” is a bit disingenuous. While it may have been “marketed” as incense, it was used to get “high”. Buy the way, they sell cigarettes and warn you not to smoke them? Ah, but all of this discussion is mute. The State of Alabama has banned it. I agree with the basic premise of the article: the State does not have its priorities straight. We worry about electronic bingo and incense and we face a serious budget crisis. Politicians pander to provincial minds and provincial voters. Tackling real issues can be hard work and might ruffle a few feathers. Decriminalization of cannabis makes the most sense…but who’s being rational. Afterall, the State must tell us what is good for us.