Hatch Asks DEA To Make Synthetic Marijuana Illegal

Press Release

"Spice' a Menace to Public Health, Senator Says

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is asking the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to assist law enforcement in cracking down on the commercial sale of "Spice" by making the synthetic marijuana substitute a controlled substance.

In a letter this week to DEA Acting Administrator Michelle Leonhart, Hatch said Spice poses a risk to public health and yet is sold commercially in convenience stores, "head shops" and other retail outlets.

"Young adults and adolescents are turning to spice as a form of legalized marijuana," Hatch wrote. "I'm sad to report that this trend is growing to epidemic proportions in my home state of Utah."

More than two dozen states have passed legislation identifying Spice, which produces effects similar to marijuana and has been linked to two dozen deaths in the U.S., as a controlled substance. In Utah, the Provo City Council voted this week to ban the sale, use and production of Spice.

Hatch wants the DEA to classify Spice as a schedule I substance, which would lead to its removal from store shelves nationwide and enable law enforcement to address the growing problem of abuse of the synthetic drug.

"I believe that an emergency scheduling would be a great help in addressing and suppressing what is essentially legalized marijuana distribution," Hatch told Leonhart in the letter.

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