June 9, 2011

State to Regulate Synthetic Marijuana and Salvia

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HARTFORD – Representative Dave Yaccarino (R-87) today hailed passage of legislation he co-sponsored that will effectively ban the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana and salvia divinorum.

Senate Bill 1098 – AN ACT REGULATING THE SALE AND POSSESSION OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA AND SALVIA DIVINORUM requires the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection to adopt regulations designating five specified synthetic versions of marijuana, along with salvia divinorum (a perennial herb in the mint family native to certain parts of Mexico) and salvinorum A (its active constituent) as controlled substances.

“I co-sponsored this legislation to add another layer of protection for our children against constantly changing and increasingly dangerous drugs,” Rep. Yaccarino said. “Too many kids think drugs like marijuana, and now their synthetic equivalent, are not dangerous or will not be harmful to them. In fact, it’s just the opposite as many of these drugs, especially those engineered in a lab, are more potent and potentially more addictive.”

Drugs like Salvia, “gateway” drugs as they’re sometimes referred because their use can lead to additional drug use, have been gaining in popularity in recent years and with this law Connecticut takes a firm stand to protect its citizens, Rep. Yaccarino added.
Rep. Yaccarino said he was especially thankful to Nancy Leddy, director of the North Haven Substance Abuse Action Council, who made him aware of the dangers this drug creates within the community. Leddy also serves as North Haven’s Youth Services Administrator.

The bill specifies that the designation may be by whatever official, common, usual, chemical, or trade name applies to the substances.

The substances are:

1. 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-018);
2. 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-073);
3. 1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-200);
4. 5-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (CP-47,497);
5. 5-(1,1-dimethyloctyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (cannabicyclohexanol; CP-47,497 C8 homologue);
6. salvia divinorum; and
7. salvinorum A.

On March 1, 2011, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) administrator issued a final order to temporarily classify the substances above as Schedule I controlled substances for one year (76 Fed. Reg. 11,075 (March 1, 2011)). The DEA order described these substances as synthetic cannabinoids, a large family of unrelated structures that are functionally similar to the active principle of marijuana. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under both state and federal law.
“Making these drugs illegal and keeping them out of kids’ hands before they become a problem for our communities is the right thing to do,” Rep. Yaccarino said.