New Jersey bans synthetic marijuana

New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa on Wednesday announced a statewide ban on all forms of synthetic marijuana, the so-called designer drug that mimics the effects of marijuana.

The concoction, also known as K2 and Spice, is the third most commonly abused drug by high school seniors, behind marijuana and prescription drugs, according to a 2011 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Side effects include violent seizures, dangerously elevated heart rates, and hallucinations, according to the institute and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

New Jersey's ban - in an emergency order pending legislative action - prohibits the manufacture, distribution, and sale of any of the hundreds of chemical combinations that mirror marijuana's effect, and is more sweeping than previous efforts.

The drug will now be considered a controlled dangerous substance, like cocaine and heroin. Violators could face three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000, officials said.

Under state law, officials can reclassify and restrict the availability of chemicals that have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.

Chiesa said authorities wanted to ban all possible variants of the drug to prevent manufacturers and dealers from sidestepping the law by concocting products that create similar effects but are not illegal.

"Today, we are ending this dangerous game played by drug dealers. We are making it unambiguously clear that if a synthetic chemical is being sold because it mimics the effects of marijuana, the dealer is committing a crime," Chiesa said in a news release.

In April, New Jersey adopted a temporary federal ban on five variants of the drug, and state legislation to ban three variants of the drug is pending. Federal legislation is also pending.

In November in Cherry Hill, two men were arrested after selling marijuana, cocaine, and synthetic marijuana at a gas station, police said.

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New Jersey bans synthetic marijuana