Despite Minnesota lawmakers seeking a ban on chemicals used in common synthetic drugs, revelers at a spring break party in a Minneapolis suburb overdosed this week on one of the risky substances, leaving one dead, officials told Reuters on Sunday.
Iowa Rep. Sen. Charles Grassley, just two days ago proposed a similar ban on chemicals used in such synthetic drugs known as Spice and K2, a synthetic marijuana.
Trevor Robinson, 19, died of an overdose at the spring break party while ten other people ages 16 to 22 were hospitalized, said Anoka County, Minn. Police Detective Larry Johnson.
Timothy Lamere, 21, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree murder Friday, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Lamere provided his friends with 2C-E, which is not listed as a controlled substance, according to police officials. A Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, however, told UPI it is illegal under the Federal Analog Act, since it is similar to the outlawed 2C-B.
One of the hospitalized, Jake Kruse, 19, explained that the drug, “Hits you hard right away and then hits you again 20 minutes after that.”
Kruze said Robinson’s “eyes were fluttering, his arms flailing. He punched a hole in the wall. He had no control.” Party goers attempted to offer Robinson CPR, then mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and finally transported him to Unity Hospital in Fridley. He was removed from life support Thursday afternoon.
2C-E, combined with other drugs, including alcohol, can be fatal, said Carol Falkowski, a drug abuse official of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
These drugs are readily available through internet sales and their emerging chemical complexity and popularity, make regulation difficult, Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rusty Payne told Reuters.
“This stuff comes in from other countries, and people just have no idea what they are getting. We have chemists and forensic scientists constantly evaluating chemicals on an ongoing basis, but there hasn’t been any federal legislation passed on those substances yet,” Payne explained.
—
Image Caption: 20mg Capsules of 2C-E. Credit: Wikipedia
—
On the Net:
Comments