The Missouri Senate has voted to ban the synthetic marijuana K-2, following the lead of the House which advanced a similar ban earlier. Before moving the bill into position for final passage, the Senate turned back Senator Joan Bray’s amendment legalizing the smoking of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Columbia Senator Kurt Schaefer, the sponsor of the bill says K2 is banned in two counties and all of the countries of Europe. He called It an “extremely dangerous” product with unknown longterm effects.
Although Schaefer warned Bray her proposed amendment endangered the bill’s chances for passage if her amendment was added, she refused to withdraw it Senators voted it down 5-26 about twenty minutes later. Schaefer’s bill needs one more favorable round of voting to go to the House. The House tentatively approved its version of the bill on Monday. Both bills are expected to gain final passage in their chambers by the end of this week. The first one to pass the other chamber goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.
Listen to debate on the K2 ban bill in the Senate 53:20 mp3
