SUPERIOR, Wis. (WTAQ) - Superior might become the second Wisconsin city to ban synthetic marijuana.
The City Council will consider the ban on Tuesday night. The product is known as “K-2,” and it’s a mix of herbs and a formulated compound. A chemist from Clemson University developed it 15 years ago. And while it lacks the active ingredient in marijuana, Superior Mayor Dave Ross says the high is stronger by some accounts – and it can have a dangerous effect on users.
Superior’s neighboring city of Duluth Minnesota recently banned K-2. And Ross says his city is acting quickly after a distributor from Duluth vowed to cross into Superior to set up shop.
But Bill Block of the state Justice Department says enforcement can be a problem. He says K-2 is not officially a controlled substance, so the state crime labs cannot analyze it unless it’s tied to a felony crime. Block says Eau Claire is the only Wisconsin city with a ban on synthetic marijuana, but St. Croix County near the Twin Cities is considering it. Also, Block says there’s talk of a legislative bill next year to ban the product statewide.
