ST. PAUL – On Wednesday, March 9, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 2446 – a bill that cracks down on the sale and use of synthetic drugs in Minnesota. The bill was co-authored by Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater) and passed the House unanimously.
This bipartisan bill is a result of the work of the Select Committee on Controlled Substances and Synthetic Drugs that met during while the legislature was out of session and made numerous recommendations aimed at further tackling the synthetic drug problem Minnesota is facing.
“The trauma endured by those who have fallen victim to synthetic drug abuse – as well as the anguish family members have gone through – is, in many cases, beyond repair,” said Lohmer. “From aggressive and violent psychosis, to grand mal seizures with the inability to drive a car or hold down a job, physical mutilation, lack of ability to care for children, the uncompensated costs to ambulance services and hospitals, my hope is that this legislation gives the state the tools necessary to begin to prevent these tragedies from occurring.”
The policy recommendations incorporated in this legislation includes:
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Expand the definition of “drug” in statute to include any compound, substance, or derivative which is not approved for human consumption by the United States Food and Drug Administration or specifically permitted by Minnesota law, and when introduced into the body, induces an effect substantially similar to that of a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance regardless of whether the substance is marketed for the purpose of human consumption.
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Empower the Board of Pharmacy to issue cease-and-desist orders to businesses that sell synthetic drugs.
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Remove the sunset on the Board of Pharmacy’s emergency drug scheduling authority.
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Strike the statutory requirement that the Board of Pharmacy’s emergency drug scheduling decisions must be ratified by the Legislature to make the Board’s actions final.
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Create a pilot project that trains prosecutors in the best practices of prosecuting synthetic drug cases and funds expert witnesses in synthetic drug investigations and trials.
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Direct the commissioners of Education, Health and Human Services to formulate and implement an educational awareness campaign designed to reach a broad audience but contain targeted messages for students on the dangers of synthetic drug use.
This legislation now moves to the Minnesota Senate for a vote.
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