House Judiciary Committee approved three bills

Bills making synthetic marijuana and synthetic cocaine illegal in Pennsylvania were passed unanimously Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee.

The bills will now be considered before the full state House.

If approved, the three bills – H.B. 176, 365 and 567 – would add synthetic drugs to the state’s list of banned controlled substances. In order to be added to the list, a substance must have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States and lack of medical safety, according to state law.

State Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), the committee chair, said the bills were part of the ongoing battle against new drugs in the commonwealth.

“As these come up we have to adjust the law,” said Mr. Marsico. “We have to prosecute those people who are poisoning our kids.”

The bills give specific chemical formulas for the synthetic marijuana and synthetic cocaine – known as “blizzard” or “bath salt” – so if drug manufacturers change the formulas, the legislation will have to be adjusted.

State Rep. Jerry Stern (R-Blair), the sponsor of the bill outlawing the synthetic cocaine, pointed to a recent stabbing in Blair County which was motivated by the use of “blizzard.” He said the bills were focused on stopping the sale and use of the drugs.

“This is about giving law enforcement a tool to use,” said Mr. Stern. “[Drug users] are always going to find something else to use, but this allows the police to combat it.”

Andy Hoover, legislative director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said the best weapon against drug use was education and information, similar to how the state and federal governments fought the use of cigarettes.

“In general, the war on drugs has been a total failure and I don’t see how expanding it is going to help,” said Mr. Hoover. “Banning these substances just leads to more prosecution and more cases clogging our legal system.”

According to the most recent Department of Corrections data, more than 18 percent of those incarcerated in state prisons are drug offenders. The state has more than 51,000 inmates at its 27 prisons.

State Rep. Jennifer Mann (D-Lehigh), sponsor of the anti-synthetic marijuana bill, said education could only go so far in eliminating the problem.

“If we don’t make something illegal, they are going to use it because people mistakenly believe it is a safe alternative to the things that are illegal,” said Ms. Mann.

She said the issue came down to one of consumer protection and public safety.