The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) today exercised its emergency scheduling authority to control five chemicals used to make faux-marijuana products. Except as authorized by law, this action makes possessing and selling these chemicals, or the products that contain them, illegal. Over the past few years these "fake pot" products have become popular because they have been marketed as legal substances that produce a marijuana-like high. However, since 2009 the DEA has received an increasing number of reports from across the country detailing the potential dangers of these flavored chemical-laced herbs. The use of these products, such as "Spice," "Blaze," "K-2," and "Red X Dawn," can cause serious side effects including convulsions, anxiety attacks, dangerously elevated heart rates, increased blood pressure, vomiting, and disorientation. Today's temporary scheduling action will remain in effect for at least one year while the DEA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services investigate these products to see if a permanent ban is necessary.
