Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday signed legislation outlawing synthetic marijuana formerly consumed legally to create druglike highs without detection.
Synthetic marijuana, known as “spice,” is organic material sprayed with lab-created chemicals that act like cannabinoids. It has been marketed and sold across the country as incense not for human consumption.
Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, bans any chemicals that interact with the brain in the same way as the cannabinoids found in marijuana.
“This bill responded to the concerns of Colorado’s law enforcement community who are seeing a dangerous trend emerge. Teens use this drug thinking it must be all right since it’s legal,” said Kopp, R-Littleton.
The law takes effect July 1.
