It was probably only a matter of time.
As surprising as it was that imitation cannabis was legalized at all, there is no doubt dedicated smokers of “spice” were well aware that its legal status was probably as short-lived as the high K2 itself gives.
A bill to ban imitation cannabis will probably be voted on this Thursday in the N.C. House and Senate.
N.C. Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, a co-sponsor of the bill, told The Daily Tar Heel that he expected the bill to pass.
In a country where medical marijuana is increasingly accepted, North Carolina stands to lose more than just tax dollars by banning K2.
While the general populace is, no doubt, supposed to feel thankful that our government has acted so forcefully to keep allegedly harmful substances out of consumers’ bodies, we would prefer it limits its actions to substances we have no choice in consuming — fire retardants in pillows, heavy metals in paints and other substances widely regarded as toxic.
Although a ban on K2 will probably not dissuade anyone from moving to North Carolina, it does send yet another signal that the state is moving in a different direction than much of the country.
Synthetic marijuana should be in the same category as alcohol and tobacco — substances that can be dangerous, but are highly regulated and heavily taxed.
Focusing on culture wars rather than actual governance is an easy out. The new Republican majority’s mandate was not to illegalize spice, but to enact more fiscally responsible policies.
