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Ohio bill outlaws synthetic pot, bath salts
By ashley luthern
YOUNGSTOWN
Family members of an Austintown teen who was injured after smoking legal synthetic marijuana are glad that the Ohio General Assembly has approved legislation banning the substance and others like it.
Last winter, Brandon Ouellette tried Mr. Nice Guy, an herbal smoke blend that caused him to hallucinate — leading him to jump headfirst into a concrete curb.
House Bill 64, which was approved by the Ohio House 97-1 and unanimously by the Senate on Tuesday, is waiting for Gov. John Kasich’s signature. Rob Nichols, spokesman for Kasich’s office, said the governor is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks.
“That is absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy,” said Sarah Ouellette, Brandon’s stepmother.
Sarah is a manager of a local gas station and said that, after The Vindicator article appeared, many residents came in asking her questions about the drug, also known as K2.
“I was explaining it, and everyone in the Austintown community was willing to step up and get it off the shelves,” she said, adding that she hasn’t seen it around the township.
Brandon’s mother, Mary-Elizabeth Palmer, also of Austintown, said that her son is still feeling effects of the drug.
“Brandon has nightmares and flashbacks. ... He complains about headaches and heart palpitations sometimes,” she said.
The statewide ban comes seven months after the Drug Enforcement Administration placed an emergency control on five chemicals found in synthetic marijuana, effectively making these chemicals or products containing them illegal in the U.S. for at least one year.
The Ohio law would place synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as K2 or Spice, on the list of Schedule I controlled substances. Six synthetic derivatives of cathinone found in bath salts also would be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.
Abuse of bath salts also has occurred in the Mahoning Valley. In February, a Boardman man was arrested on several charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor of abuse of harmful intoxicants for snorting bath salts.
Officials said under the new law, in an incident such as that, the charge would be drug possession, which could be a felony depending on the amount of the drug present.