HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
The state House of Representatives has approved legislation to ban several powerful and increasingly popular hallucinogenic drugs.
Senate Bill 1006 would add to the state's controlled substance list the synthetic cocaine known as "bath salts." It would also prohibit the possession and sale of synthetic marijuana, salvia divinorum, and the psychedelic drug 2C.
The House amended the bill to outlaw any chemical compound similar to those in bath salts and 2C from being used to create the same effect.
The amended bill will return to the Senate for final approval before heading to the governor's desk. The legislation would take effect within 60 days of being signed into law.
A first offense for delivery or possession with the intent to deliver would result in five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Simple possession would be a misdemeanor and a $5,000 fine and a maximum of one year in prison. On repeat violations, the maximum fine and penalty would double.
Synthetic marijuana - sometimes sold under names such as K2, Demon and Spice - is a blend of herbs treated with chemicals to produce a marijuana-like high.
Salvia divinorum and 2C are said to produce hallucinations and visions similar to LSD, while bath salts produce a high similar to that of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
