Texas Bill To Outlaw Synthetic "Pot"

On Thursday, April 18, 2013 the Texas Senate passed a bill to outlaw synthetic "pot" and another regarding other drugs to the State House.

SB 263 will ban "Pot Pourri", "K-2", "Saliva" and other so-called synthetic marijuana substances. These items are currently legal for purchase in some tobacco shops. Many traditional cannabis users started using these synthetic substances in lieu of marijuana because of its legal status.

The bill lists 15 base compounds plus numerous variations of each. It reads like an advanced chemistry text with compound names such as Naphthoylindole, Naphthylindolecarboxamide, Naphthoylpyrrole, and Phenylacetylindole. The full bill text and complete list is available here.

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED  AN ACT  relating to the designation for criminal prosecution and other purposes of certain chemicals commonly referred to as synthetic cannabinoids as controlled substances and controlled substance analogues under the Texas Controlled Substances Act. 
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 
       SECTION 1.  Subdivisions (5) and (6), Section 481.002, Health and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows: 
             (5)  "Controlled substance" means a substance, including a drug, an adulterant, and a dilutant, listed in Schedules I through V or Penalty Group [Groups] 1, 1-A, [or] 2, 2-A, 3, or [through] 4. The term includes the aggregate weight of any mixture, solution, or other substance containing a controlled substance. 
             (6)  "Controlled substance analogue" means: 
                   (A)  a substance with a chemical structure substantially similar to the chemical structure of a controlled substance in Schedule I or II or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, [or] 2, or 2-A; or 
                   (B)  a substance specifically designed to produce an effect substantially similar to, or greater than, the effect of a controlled substance in Schedule I or II or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, [or] 2, or 2-A. 
       SECTION 2.  Section 481.1031, Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: 
       Sec. 481.1031.  PENALTY GROUP 2-A.  Penalty Group 2-A consists of any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that contains any quantity of a synthetic chemical substance, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, listed by name in this section or contained within the following structural classes defined in this section [compound that is a cannabinoid receptor agonist and mimics the pharmacological effect of naturally occurring cannabinoids, including]: 
                   WIN-55,212-2;
             Naphthoylindole: any compound

Senate Bill 264 places "Ecstasy", "DMA", "MDMA", "Bath Salts" and other related drugs into Class 1-A and Class 2 penalty scales. This appears to be an effort to crack down on the production, distribution, possession, and use of these dangerous drugs. The bill passed a Senate vote on April 18, 2013 and will likely pass a House vote in the near future.

As with SB 263, SB264's text reads like an inorganic chemistry text. The full bill and the affected controlled substances can be found here.

Here is a short excerpt:

SECTION 2.  Section 481.1021, Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: 
       Sec. 481.1021.  PENALTY GROUP 1-A. (a)  Penalty Group 1-A consists of: 
             (1)  lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers; and 
             (2)  compounds structurally derived from 2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine by substitution at the 1-amino nitrogen atom with a benzyl substituent, including: 
                   (A)  compounds further modified by:
                         (i)  substitution in the phenethylamine ring at the 4- position to any extent (including alkyl, alkoxy, alkylenedioxy, haloalkyl, or halide substituents); or 
                         (ii)  substitution in the benzyl ring to any extent (including alkyl, alkoxy, alkylenedioxy, haloalkyl, or halide substituents); and 
                   (B)  by example, compounds such as:
                         4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine (trade or other names: 25B-NBOMe, 2C-B-NBOMe); 
                         4-Chloro-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine (trade or other names: 25C-NBOMe, 2C-C-NBOMe); 
                         2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methyl-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine (trade or other names: 25D-NBOMe, 2C-D-NBOMe); 
                         4-Ethyl-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine (trade or other names: 25E-NBOMe, 2C-E-NBOMe);