By James B. Bartle
Most people probably think K2 is a new band all the kids are raving about, but it’s not.  It’s  hitting the local streets and is being debated in the State of Missouri for a possible ban.
Recent reports on K2,  a product commonly sold in head shops, some convenience stores and tobacco outlets as incense,  is on the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration list for drugs or chemicals of concern and was recently banned in Pettis County, MO. and State Rep. Ward Franz, West Plains, has introduced a bill in the Missouri legislature that would make the product illegal, with punishments similar to marijuana possession.
Sullivan police chief, George R. Counts, indicated this week that they were not aware of any local businesses selling the product but that the department was paying close attention to legislation on the product.
K2 is a mixture of spices and herbs that is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users use the “incense” by rolling it up in joints with tobacco, dried flower leaves or inhaled from a pipe, giving them a similar feeling to smoking marijuana on the brain, only the product is legal for now  and not detected in drug tests.
Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement leader, Sgt. Jason Grellner, recently reported that the product is an example of science being ahead of the law.
The product is manufactured in China and Korea and is a banned substance by the U.S. military, most of Europe, and possibly in the states of Missouri and Kansas as bills are being introduced.
One of the problems with K2 is that it can be purchased by anyone of any age, prompting concern that it can get in the hands of young children.
The Washington Missourian recently featured an article where a convenience store in St. Clair had begun selling the product, which cost between $20 to $50 for a three gram packet; however,  after the article was featured, the store opted to not sell the product due to public concern.
The store restricted the product to age 21 and over when it was selling it. It  dropped the product this week after public concern and after selling out of the product.