The Indiana Board of Pharmacy is strengthening its laws against synthetic marijuana.
The board announced yesterday it is banning three chemical compounds used to make the drugs known as "Spice" and "K2."
This is the 7th time the board has taken the action since the General Assembly gave them emergency rulemaking authority in 2012.
"The General Assembly is part-time, so they're only there for a few months, and this emergency rulemaking authority by the Board enables them to quickly keep these compounds off the street," says Nick Goodwin, communications director for the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, which oversees 38 different boards and commissions. "So when the legislature comes back into session at the beginning of next year, they'll be able to take these emergency rules and put them into state statute."
Goodwin says another reason semi-regular bans are needed is because chemists in the drug trade constantly alter their formulas to sidestep new laws.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Spice" products are second only to marijuana in the illicit drugs young people use.