Gary Munyon Charged Under New Synthetic Cannabinoid Law

Gary Munyon was charged in Worth County Associate Circuit Court with Possession of a Synthetic Cannabinoid. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Dudick signed a probable cause statement alleging that on March 25th, 2012 on Route YY west of 169 near Grant City, Dudick stopped Munyon for a lane violation. During what Dudick said was a consent search, he found Mr. Marley incense, cigarette papers, a container of Fusion incense, and two containers of Quick Fix Plus. There are many products that are marketed as incense but which produce highs similar to marijuana and which are labeled as not for human consumption. Quick Fix Plus is a synthetic urine that is designed to defeat drug tests.

The probable cause statement by Dudick states that the incense in question was sent to the Highway Patrol crime lab and that it tested positive for controlled substances. The statement said that the defendant admitted that he smoked it to get high, but that he did not think it was illegal to have incense.

In 2011, the Missouri Legislature passed and Governor Jay Nixon signed a law making the sale, distribution, or possession of synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cocaine illegal. This law also includes K2, certain bath salts, and other substances. Opponents, especially in the Ozarks, said that the new law amounted to an infringement on peoples' rights, saying that it was no more harmful than beer. Others, however, describe violent and abusive behavior and hallucinations that have lasting effects for days. Greene County, MO had people treated at emergency rooms after K2 was smoked. Supporters argue that passage of the law was necessary because it rose to the level of a public health issue.

This year, in 2012, President Obama signed a bill banning synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs at the federal level. It costs around $20 per gram and people spend as much as $100-$200 per week on these products.

But the battle on these substances has just begun. There is no specific list of brands available which constitute K2 in Missouri and there is therefore much confusion over what is legal and illegal. And vendors, especially in the south part of the state, are already turning to K2 alternatives which they say are legal. And a basic question for lawmakers is, how far can the government reasonably expect to go? People can get high sniffing common substances such as glue, paint, lighter fluid, fingernail polish, permanent markets, Whiteout, and deodorants. Yet no reasonable person is arguing that we should ban the sale or possession of such substances.

Editorial: FDA Busts Amish Farmers; Are We Next?

I'm sure that I speak for a lot of people on this matter. I suggest that Barack Obama get his act together and get his FDA under control. It seems that the FDA spent one year and thousands of dollars of our taxpayer money investigating an Amish farm in Pennsylvania which was just trying to make an honest living selling milk to people. This is not the change that we voted for when we voted for him back in 2008.

Give me a break -- why isn't the government going after the real criminals? Let's just give an example of how the government is failing. Around here, there has been a lot of concern raised about the sale of K2, which is a marijuana synthetic. And that may just be the tip of the iceberg, seeing that there are versions such as K4 and several other variants. Yet it seems that Obama and certain advocates of a police state would rather drive mom and pop concerns out of business for the benefit of large corporations while letting the real criminals, those who would sell K2 and other such drugs to our children carry on.

Congressman Sam Graves in a recent news release rightly says that small businesses need new markets in order to compete. I think he should go farther -- I think Congressman Graves, along with Senator Roy Blunt and Senator Claire McCaskill have an obligation to blow the whistle anytime the government spends tens of thousands of our taxpayer dollars and spends one year of their valuable time going after mom and pop businesses and failing to go after the real criminals who would prey on our children. No matter where it happens. Because who knows -- we could be next. Nobody is safe in this day and age.

How would we feel if it were, say, Sheridan Grocery or Country Corners or Modern Day Veterans Bar & Grill who was next on the government's hit list of mom and pop businesses? Certain people in Washington seem to think that our present economic woes are a mental disease of some kind. We need a government who will use their common sense and facilitate people who are trying to make an honest living. We all agree that some rules are necessary for a society to function -- even Ron Paul would only cut the government by 50%. But certain rules that are appropriate for, say, Wal-Mart or Dollar General are not appropriate for mom and pop operations which are simply trying to make an honest living.

Let's suppose for the sake of the argument that the FDA rules in question were completely appropriate and necessary for public health reasons. That still does not justify the thuggish tactics of the FDA, who spent thousands and thousands of our taxpayer dollars and a whole year in undercover investigations treating an Amish family like terrorists or criminals instead of working with them to correct the problem. When the government engages in this sort of thuggery, this vindicates people like Ronald Reagan, who used to say that the worst words one could hear is, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." But when the government works with people like this Amish family to rectify the problem, then there is always a solution.

K2 Alternatives Ban Awaits Governor's Signature

House Bill 641, sponsored by Representative Ward Franz (R-West Plains) was Truly Agreed and Finally Passed Tuesday, May 10, 2011. HB 641 adds all synthetic cannabinoids (K2 alternatives) as well as synthetic cocaine that are being sold as bath salts, to the list of Schedule I controlled substances and make possession of it a class C felony. “I am proud that Missouri continues to be a leader in the fight to protect our children from the harms of these dangerous drugs,” said Representative Franz. “This legislation has sparked a nation-wide investigation by legislatures and law enforcement agencies into the best methods to stop the plague of synthetic drugs. The public has made it clear that they want this issue addressed.” HB 641 is the direct result of the need to close an unintended loophole in last year’s ban on K2, HB 1472. In the wake of the passage of HB 1472, which only banned a specific version of the synthetic cannabinoids, dozens of new versions sprang onto the shelves. All these newly created synthetic cannabinoids as well as the newest synthetic substance called bath salts, which are actually synthetic cocaine, have recently caused great concern among law enforcement because of their popularity among youth because they are known as a “legal high.” “Those manufacturing and selling these substances know that it is not only harmful, but that they are also purposely designed to skirt the law,” said Rep. Franz. “It is frustrating when individuals continue to make and sell this stuff just to make a profit.” Now that HB 641 has received final approval it heads to the governor for his signature. All synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cocaine will become illegal on August 28, 2011—provided no veto.

K2 drug facts

• K2 is labeled as an herbal blend, marketed for home incense, but it is being used for much different purposes and could have potentially dangerous effects. • Although K2 is sometimes marketed as synthetic marijuana, the effects can be 10 times more intense than those from marijuana. The dried herbs come in 3-gram packages of various flavors, including "Blonde," "Pink," "Citron" and "Summit."

• K2 samples test positive for synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073, developed in the mid-1990s by Clemson University researchers conducting lab experiments on mice to test the compounds' effects on the brain. • Authorities are very concerned . . . Some Asian and European countries, including France, Austria and Germany, already banned these products. Now the U.S. has taken action as well. • Many states and municipalities banned these substances prior to the nationwide ban.

• Teenagers have been hospitalized, suffered severe hallucinations, increased heart rate, seizures, and even death. Source: http://www.k2drugfacts.com/info.html • The military has banned possession and use of K2. • K2 or "spice" is an herbal blend, sprayed with synthetic compounds and sold as incense. But, it's being marketed to teens as a way of getting high.