WASHINGTON — The DEA on Wednesday announced it was using its “emergency scheduling authority” to temporarily outlaw five chemicals used to make “fake pot” products.
The DEA said the move was in response to the increasingly popularity of the products that were harming people.
The DEA said plans to oulaw the products for at least 12 months with the possibility of a six-month extension. They will be designated as Schedule I substances, the most restrictive category.
In a press release the DEA stated: “Over the past year, smokable herbal blends marketed as being ‘legal’ and providing a marijuana-like high, have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults.
“These products consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and over the Internet.”
The DEA said since 2009 it has received an increasing number of reports from poison centers, hospitals and law enforcement about the fake pot products.
“The American public looks to the DEA to protect its children and communities from those who would exploit them for their own gain,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “Makers of these harmful products mislead their customers into thinking that ‘fake pot’ is a harmless alternative to illegal drugs, but that is not the case.”
