Effort to Ban K2 in Oakland County

PONTIAC, Mich. - It's a new drug considered more dangerous than pot. Right now, it's completely legal, but for how long? Commissioners in Oakland County want K2 placed on the banned substance list.

It's become a teen smoking sensation spanning the nation. It's called K2, sold as spice, blonde, J-dub and blue lotus, a blend of herbs designed to give someone a marijuana-like high. It's fake pot, a synthetic drug, but that doesn't mean it's safe.

"As we see a lot of times, these are unregulated and they can have a lot of effects that people didn't expect," said Dr. Jeffrey Ditkoff, an emergency room doctor with Beaumont Hospital.

Dangerous symptoms such as vomiting, panic attacks, tremors and even seizures.

"Any time you start having an ingestion that causes seizures, you do worry that a kid could die," Ditkoff said.

Just the opposite effect as marijuana and much more dangerous says Ditkoff. Kids are flooding some emergency rooms, but doctors can't always pinpoint K2 as the culprit.

"So, we oftentimes are treating based on symptoms and see if it fits a pattern," said Ditkoff.

Here's the catch. Right now in Michigan, this synthetic cannabinoid is completely legal, but Oakland County Commissioners are working to change that.

"They can walk into a gas station or a liquor store or a head shop and they can buy this over the counter. There's nothing police can do about it right now," said Greimel.

Commissioners want to ban the fake weed, but don't have the power. So Greimel, who introduced the resolution, says the commissioners voted to hand it over to the health department, which does have the power to regulate the drug.

If approved, Greimel claims stores can't sell it and kids won't be able to buy it.

"Exactly what the penalties would be, they may not be criminal penalties. They might just be civil fines. There are a number of ways it could work, but the health department's going to look into that and let us know," Greimel said.

In hopes of a statewide ban, a bill has been introduced to the Michigan House of Representatives, but Commissioner Greimel says they are not waiting for lawmakers. This local regulation should take about two months to work its way though the system and ban this fake weed.