Grassley trying to ban synthetic marijuana

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana that led to the death of an 18-year-old Iowa man last year is scheduled for action July 28.

Sen. Chuck Grassley hopes his bill to ban synthetic cannabinoids that are marketed under street names like K2 or Spice will be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and move to the full Senate. He said it has bipartisan support.

The June 2010 death of David Rozga, 18, of Indianola, who smoked K2 substance before taking his life after experiencing hallucinations and anxiety, may have been the first death in the country attributable to K2, Grassley said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Since then an Omaha student who killed his principal and himself was found to have K2 in his system. Emergency rooms and poison control centers report “skyrocketing” cases related to K2, Grassley said. The substance increases agitation heart rate, blood pressure, hallucinations and seizures, often leading to violent injuries, he explained.

The synthetic substance, sometimes marketed as incense, has become a popular legal alternative to marijuana because it produces a similar “high,” according to law enforcement.

“It's marketed to appear purely as natural and harmless,” Grassley said. “Victims like David Rozga get sucked into trying the drug thinking they are having harmless fun, unaware of these risks.”

He's pushing the legislation after meeting with Rozga's family, including the victim's father, who testified before the Senate Drug Caucus, which Grassley co-chairs.

The Senate action follows similar action by the Iowa Legislature earlier this year to toughen penalties for the sale of the synthetic cannabinoids.

Federal legislation is needed because drug enforcement agencies' process of banning “is so very slow” and there is no guarantee of a permanent ban if done through regulation, Grassley said.

The David Mitchell Rozga Act would treat K2 like banned narcotics like methamphetamines and cocaine.

Some members of the committee have expressed support for broadening the bill to cover bath salts, which also can produce a high, but Grassley he's being cautious about adding things to the legislation.

“I want to get done what I can get done,” he explained.