Is K2 Legal in Georgia
Before last week, only certain forms of spices were illegal in Georgia. Chase`s Law amends the previous Georgian law to extend it to all chemical compounds currently known to be used to make synthetic marijuana. This means that spice variations that might have been legal before last week are now illegal. In addition, the law will come into force immediately. Anyone who possessed spices before the new law in the state of Georgia is now guilty of a felony if found in possession of the substance, even if they bought it legally before the new law went into effect. Right now, there are many states where laws to ban K2 are pending. The reason why many states are interested in banning it is that it can lead to many side effects. Although marijuana has been legalized in many areas, many people take this as a green light to try a variety of other drugs, including K2. This has put a lot of people in the hospital, and many states are interested in laws that could ban it. Regardless of their geographic location, soldiers in the 3rd DI were already prohibited from using, possessing, selling or distributing variants of synthetic marijuana, based on earlier instructions from Secretary of the Army and Maj. Gen. Abrams.
Violations of these orders are punishable under Article 92 of the UCMJ. Chase`s law now allows soldiers caught with spices to be prosecuted either in state court or in court martial with the new state law. Soldiers therefore face wider legal exposure under the new law. Policy Letter Number Seven prohibits soldiers and civilians from owning, selling, or distributing variations of spices on Stewart Hunter`s property. Civilians who violate this policy letter will be subject to administrative sanctions and possible job loss, but will only be prosecuted if the particular form of spice violates the old Georgian law or federal law before last week. Now, under Chase`s law, civilians will be prosecuted in U.S. District Court if they are caught with any form of spice on either facility. After reports of people getting sick or even dying after an accidental overdose of herbal incense, state governments began cracking down on this popular new drug. Many people were already using it. People believed that because they could buy drugs “legally” in stores, they were safer than street drugs.
Many in the military or industry were looking for synthetic marijuana because, unlike natural marijuana, it would not show up on standard drug testing. Synthetic marijuana products are currently illegal in several states, including New York, Illinois and Oregon. For years, a semi-legal market for synthetic substitutes has flourished in the United States, including here in Georgia. There were quite a few products, from pills called Molly, which were supposed to replicate the effects of MDMA, to bath salts, which gave a stimulant effect similar to that of methamphetamine or cocaine. These drugs were almost all made with so-called “research chemicals” imported from China. Labeled as not intended for human consumption, they were sold to people who clearly intended to consume them. Synthetic marijuana is illegal in the state of Georgia. Georgia banned the possession and sale of synthetic marijuana in 2012 and named the law Chase`s Law after the death of a 16-year-old after using the drug. Dr. Gaylord Lopez is director of the Georgia Poison Center. He says many medications, such as bath salts, are mislabeled. So gas station owners may have no idea that what they are selling is illegal.
But he suspects otherwise. The new bill in the Georgia Senate would make the sale of K2 illegal and put it at the top of the state`s list of controlled substances. Originally published in 1986 as part of the Controlled Substances Act, the analogous federal law makes illegal all research chemicals used to make a high law illegal. Under this law, any new chemical or compound specifically designed to replicate the effects of a substance banned by the state is just as illegal as the substance it is intended to replace. “Young people are harmed when they smoke these dangerous `counterfeit potted products` and wrongly equate the `legal` availability of retail products with `safe`,” she said in an official press release last year. The possession and use of synthetic marijuana is completely illegal in Georgia. The Georgian legislature banned synthetic marijuana in 2012. The law was named Chase`s Law, after 16-year-old Chase Corbitt Burnett, who died shortly after experimenting with synthetic marijuana. In Georgia, it is also illegal to drive under the influence of synthetic marijuana. A first conviction for driving under the influence of drugs (drunk drugs) can result in at least 24 hours in jail, a $300 fine, probation, community service and the possibility of another jail sentence.
These are the minimal consequences. Many Georgian jurisdictions deal more severely with DUI drugs.