Synthetic Cannabinoids (S 0509)

In 2013, the General Assembly made illegal the use of several specific synthetic cannabinoids, in part because of ACLU concerns that prohibiting all synthetic cannabinoids could lead to the overcriminalization of harmless substances including medication used by cancer patients. In March, the ACLU testified before the Senate Judiciary committee in opposition to legislation undermining this effort prohibiting virtually all synthetic cannabinoids and establishing a process to make more synthetic cannabinoids illegal without any legislative process. The ACLU testified that such a process already exists through the Department of Health, with more public oversight than would exist in this legislation, and that synthetic cannabinoids should be viewed through a narrow lens and not with the expectation that all cannabinoids are inherently without benefit. The bill was not voted on by the committee.