An herbal incense sweeping the Midwest has caught the attention and concerns of Missourians, causing legislation to be drafted and keeping at least one shop owner in business.
K2 is sold as an incense, marketed for mediation purposes, but Missouri legislators say the legal substance is being used as a marijuana substitute.
Rep. Ward Franz said the incense contains, among other things, a chemical called JWH-018, or 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, a synthetic compound with effects similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and has the potential for serious side effects.
"My biggest concern is that this is getting in the hands of our children," he said. "There have been multiple cases where young people have been taken to the hospital after smoking this.
"They think because it's legal, it can't hurt them."
On the contrary, he said, users have blacked out for several hours or suffered catalepsy, a nervous condition causing a fixed body posture. Ultimately, however, he said the side effects are largely unknown as the substance has not been tested on humans.
Franz, R-West Plains, along with Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, is sponsoring a bill that would ban JWH-018 and similar chemical cannabinoids used for K2, a brand of the Spice incense.
Franz is planning to bring the discussion in front of the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee Feb. 9 at noon. If passed by the House and Senate, the chemicals could be deemed a Schedule 1 substance, carrying the same penalty as with a Class C Felony.
Despite that it is already on its way to prohibition in Kansas and other legislative efforts are being taken throughout the U.S., K2 has been a hot seller, even in the lake area.
Lake Ozark business owner Lisa Frick, of Frick & Frack, said this product has been in high demand since she started selling it in October, even keeping her open at times.
"Honestly, I'm selling the crap out of it," she said. "I thought I'd have to close for a couple of months through the winter season, but this has been keeping me open."
Frick said, however, she markets the 3-gram packets as incense and the label warns against human consumption. Also, it can only be bought in the 18-and-up room, she said, so employees are checking the customers' IDs.
If legislation does pass in Missouri, Frick said she would stop selling immediately.
Typically costing around $35 for three grams, K2 looks similar to small flakes of potpourri and can be bought online.
At www.k2-incense.com, the makers listed several herbs in its ingredients: Canavalia rosea, Clematis vitalba, Nelumbo nucifera, Pedicularis grandifolia, Heimia salicifolia, Leonurus sibiricus and Ledum palustre.
Although JWH-018 is not a listed ingredient on their site, criminalist supervisor Adam Benne of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said their crime lab has found the chemical in one of the two samples they've tested.
The other sample contained JWH-073, or 1-Butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, a chemical similar to JWH-018. Benne said neither are considered controlled substances.
Other versions of Spice also may include HU-210, found to be 66 times more active than THC in rats and 80 times more active in pigeons, and HU-211, which had no THC-like activity in the animals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration.
JWH-018 and -073 were both found to cause THC-like effects in those animals as well, however, there have been no published studies with humans.
Spice has been banned in several countries, including Austria, Chile, Germany, France, Russia and South Korea.
What is K2?
• It is a brand name of Spice, an incense sold worldwide.
• Typically contains at least one of four THC-like chemicals that are legal in the U.S.
• Often smoked using a pipe or similar device and has an effect similar to marijuana.
• Associated with side effects such as black outs, seizures and catalepsy.
• Comes in several blends, including standard, citron, blonde, summit or pink.
• It is said to be growingly popular among teenagers, although very few instances have been reported in lake-area schools so far.
