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No longer can Oak Grove businesses legally sell incense that is smoked as marijuana and has the same effect as the drug.
The Oak Grove Board of Aldermen Monday unanimously approved an ordinance that bans the substance called “K2.”
K2, also called “spice,” resembles potpourri. Produced in China and Korea, the incense is sprayed with a synthetic compound similar to THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) found in marijuana that gives the feeling of being high.
The user can either roll it in a joint or smoke it in pipes. When inhaled, K2 delivers a high like pot. Users say it’s impossible to distinguish the two.
Health implications of smoking K2 are greater than in smoking marijuana because the THC in K2 is three to five times more potent than THC found in marijuana. Evidence shows K2 has the potential to damage the lungs, brain, heart and other organs.
The ordinance contains the same language as a soon-to-be Missouri state law. The General Assembly passed the bill that will add K-2 to its long list of controlled substances.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has not yet signed bill. Even if he signs it tomorrow, the law will not go into effect until Aug. 28, according to Oak Grove city attorney Chris Williams.
“There’s a concern that is going on now (with the substance),” Williams said. “There’s a need to address it now.”
Two stores in Oak Grove were selling the substance. One of the stores stopped selling the incense after Oak Grove Police Chief Bob Muenz talked to the store owner about the substance, said city administrator Steven Craig.
The other store told Muenz they would stop selling it if K2 became illegal, Craig said.
Penalties for selling K2 in Oak Grove can be a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for no more than 90 days.
Alderman Hank Melhorn, at the May 17 meeting, called for the board to discuss the substance. Melhorn said K2 was a cause for concern.
At Monday’s meeting, Melhorn thanked the city for taking action in banning the substance.
Kansas has passed a law that bans K2. Odessa, which had two stores selling it, has also banned the fake pot and Bates City is in the process of making K2 illegal. Bates City has several stores that are selling it.
It’s still available at convenience stores in Independence, which has not banned the substance. Blue Springs and Grain Valley have not banned it either.
No longer can Oak Grove businesses legally sell incense that is smoked as marijuana and has the same effect as the drug.
The Oak Grove Board of Aldermen Monday unanimously approved an ordinance that bans the substance called “K2.”
K2, also called “spice,” resembles potpourri. Produced in China and Korea, the incense is sprayed with a synthetic compound similar to THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) found in marijuana that gives the feeling of being high.
The user can either roll it in a joint or smoke it in pipes. When inhaled, K2 delivers a high like pot. Users say it’s impossible to distinguish the two.
Health implications of smoking K2 are greater than in smoking marijuana because the THC in K2 is three to five times more potent than THC found in marijuana. Evidence shows K2 has the potential to damage the lungs, brain, heart and other organs.
The ordinance contains the same language as a soon-to-be Missouri state law. The General Assembly passed the bill that will add K-2 to its long list of controlled substances.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has not yet signed bill. Even if he signs it tomorrow, the law will not go into effect until Aug. 28, according to Oak Grove city attorney Chris Williams.
“There’s a concern that is going on now (with the substance),” Williams said. “There’s a need to address it now.”
Two stores in Oak Grove were selling the substance. One of the stores stopped selling the incense after Oak Grove Police Chief Bob Muenz talked to the store owner about the substance, said city administrator Steven Craig.
The other store told Muenz they would stop selling it if K2 became illegal, Craig said.
Penalties for selling K2 in Oak Grove can be a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for no more than 90 days.
Alderman Hank Melhorn, at the May 17 meeting, called for the board to discuss the substance. Melhorn said K2 was a cause for concern.
At Monday’s meeting, Melhorn thanked the city for taking action in banning the substance.
Kansas has passed a law that bans K2. Odessa, which had two stores selling it, has also banned the fake pot and Bates City is in the process of making K2 illegal. Bates City has several stores that are selling it.
It’s still available at convenience stores in Independence, which has not banned the substance. Blue Springs and Grain Valley have not banned it either.
