Pot substitute

University students looking for a way to create the effects of marijuana on research mice developed a chemical substitute called K2 or "spice." It didn't take long for K2 -- a currently legal, smokable herb -- to become popular with humans seeking a pot high without breaking the law.

Now local and state governments are adopting bans on K2, making it a controlled substance like marijuana. Possession of a controlled substance is a felony.

Kansas was the first state to pass a K2 ban. St. Charles and Pettis counties in Missouri have passed bans. Both the Missouri House and Senate have passed bans, and a final bill that works out differences in the two versions may be sent to Gov. Jay Nixon's desk this week.

Bob Welsh of the Missouri Safety Center calls K2 a scary drug. Lab analysis of the substance shows it contains chemical compounds with the ability to produce a high stronger than marijuana, according to a recent Associated Press story.

Because K2 is so readily available, and because the effects of the chemicals in K2 are so much stronger than cannabis (the plant from which marijuana is harvested), the legislature is taking appropriate actions to head off easy access to this potent product.