In COLUMBUS, Ohio legislators were hard at work on April 17th. 2014 to ensure that that two synthetic drugs that are used to mimic the effects of marijuana are now permanently banned in Ohio, state officials announced Thursday.
The ban applies to PB-22 and 5F-PB-22, which are typically sold as herbal incense products in head shops, the Ohio attorney general’s office announced in a release. The drugs can have effects similar to, but longer lasting, than amphetamines, according to the Associated Press.
Compounds with the same basic chemical structure as the two drugs are also now illegal, even if they haven’t been developed yet, the release stated.
In February, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classified the compounds as illegal drugs on a temporary basis. The new Ohio administrative rule that took effect Thursday makes such a ban permanent in the state.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation first noticed PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 in the first five months of 2013, according to the release. Last June, the attorney general’s office and the state pharmacy board began the process of making the drugs illegal.
“Anyone found selling or purchasing these compounds in Ohio is breaking the law, and you will face the consequences,” DeWine said in a statement. “Drugs, whether they are synthetic drugs or street drugs like heroin, are wreaking havoc on Ohio families. This is just one example of the ongoing efforts by my office to prevent further devastation due to drug abuse.”
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/04/ohio_bans_two_synthetic_mariju.html
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