State takes step to ban ingredients of Spice, other synthetic drugs

By Seth Morin
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Board of Pharmacy has passed emergency laws banning four different compounds used in synthetic drugs, such as “Spice” and “K2.”

Spice products are among the most popular illegal drugs used by young people – second only to marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. That’s because kids have easy access to them and Spice is not easily detected on drug tests.

“Synthetic drug abuse is a major concern to the Board of Pharmacy,” said Nicholas Rhoad, executive director of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. “These harmful products can be lethal and are being marketed to and targeted at Indiana’s youth.”

The agency and Indiana State Police work together to identify the ingredients used in synthetic drugs so that the board can ban them. The new rules will extend into next year, which allows the legislature an opportunity to enact the rules into law.

“Hoosiers under the impression that designer drugs are safer than the illicit substances they are designed to mimic are paying with their lives. These haphazard, deadly concoctions are being marketed to young people, and the results are tragic,” said Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, in a statement responding to the new rules.

“To stop the designer drug trend we need a coordinated effort on all fronts, which is why I’m pleased to see the Board of Pharmacy working with the legislature and law enforcement to eradicate the use of poisons,” he said.

State officials said rogue chemists are able to alter the chemical formulas used in these drugs so they can stay ahead of lawmakers. Indiana law enables the board to pass emergency rules so law enforcement can take effective and timely action against the threat.

Seth Morin is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.