Two state legislators are attempting to close loopholes used by makers of synthetic drugs.
Over the last nine months lawmakers have been putting together a bill to help close loopholes that they say synthetic drug makers have been using. The synthetic drug makers avoid prosecution by changing the chemical make-up of the drugs quicker than the state can explictly ban them.
Rep. Janet Bewley (D) of Ashland says that the current definition of synthetic drugs is too vague. “They need something with clarity and with teeth so that law enforcement and the criminal justice system will be able to act with confidence that it will hold up in court,” Bewley said. “This legislation gives that, it provides that clarity.”
She says the legislation that will be introduced on Thursday has what they need to prosecute sellers of synthetic drugs. “It gives a very long list of similar compounds and they just need to have 'reasonable comparison' to this list in order to prosecute.”
State Sen. Bob Jauch (D) says the new legislation will put an end to the loophole, in which a drug's chemistry is altered to avoid prosecution. “This new law will, in essence, say that even if it is altered, if it maintains the same chemical composition — that looks like a ducks and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck — it’s the same poison.”
Jauch says he believes that this new law will help put the retail sellers and the internet sellers out of business. “The fact of the matter is Wisconsin is putting those who sell this drug on notice that Wisconsin is dead serious about taking them head on and removing this product.”
Jauch and Bewley say even with this new bill, it is still not going to be easy to shut down fake pot. They say there’s a lot of money being made from synthetic marijuana.
They both expect the legislature to consider and approve the bill before adjournment in November.
