An excerpt from the To the Maximus! foundation:

On June 14, 2011, Max Dobner’s mom, Karen, got the call that no mom wants to get. The mother of three young men was at a friend’s house when the shattering, life-altering message arrived:

“Your son was in an accident, and he did not survive.”

Max, usually a cautious and responsible person, had entered a local tobacco shop with a friend. There they purchased a legal substance, a synthetic drug marketed and sold as potpourri but smoked by teens. The substance can cause frightening results, including rapid heartbeats, paranoid panic attacks, and hallucinations. Shortly after using this substance, Max got into a car, drove at speeds approaching 100 mph, and ultimately barreled through an intersection, hit a wall, went airborne, and crashed into a house.  Max suffered a blunt force trauma to the head and died, leaving behind a devastated family, large circle of friends, and bright future. Max had hoped to study psychology and make a positive impact on the world around him, continuing his service to others.

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Local departments in Illinois enacting emergency bans until state wide bans takes effect

North Aurora has joined the campaign against “herbal incense” and “bath salts” ingested to get high. The village board Monday voted to prohibit the sale, possession and use of such products that mimic the effects of marijuana and illegal stimulants and hallucinogens.

Sugar Grove and Aurora have also banned the substances.

The North Aurora law is a stopgap measure until a state law prohibiting more synthetic cannabinoids takes effect Jan. 1.

North Aurora police can enforce the village’s law immediately. Offenses will be ordinance violations, unlike in Aurora, where they can also be prosecuted as misdemeanors.

A person convicted of selling the substances could be fined $500 to $700. If they are 16 or younger, they would also be sentenced to perform 100 to 200 hours of community service. If 17 or older, they could be sentenced to one to six months in jail.

Someone convicted of possessing or using the substances could be fined $100 to $750. Those younger than 17 would also be sentenced to perform 50 to 100 hours of community service; those 17 and older would be sentenced to a maximum of 30 days in jail.

In June, 19-year-old Max Dobner of Aurora, while high on synthetic cannabis, crashed his car into a house on Route 31 just north of North Aurora. He died. His mother, Karen Dobner, has since campaigned against the sale of the product.

She started the:

To the Maximus Foundation

Illinois banned the substance known as “bath salts” July 22. Nine synthetic cannabis compounds were outlawed also, but that part doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1.

Synthetic cannabis has been found in small packages labeled as “herbal incense.” The Sugar Grove law listed more than 80 names, such as “K2 Solid Sex on the Mountain” and “Blueberry Hayze.” Although package labels may say the product is “not for human consumption,” law enforcement officials say their 1- to 2-ounce size belies that.

Synthetic cannabinoids act on the body the same way natural cannabinoids do. Drug designers come up with compounds, changing a molecule here and there to skirt laws that ban specific chemical compounds. The incense Max Dobner smoked said on the package that it was made of marshmallow flower, a plant used in herbal medicine. The Drug Enforcement Agency says the leaves are often sprayed with varying amounts of synthetic cannabinoids. They may also be mixed with PCP, real marijuana and amphetamines, according to Naperville-based psychiatrist Dr. Danesh Alam. He treats people who have used the incense. Cannabis, real or synthetic, can raise blood pressure, increase pulse, induce vomiting and cause panic, paranoia and hallucinations. Max Dobner told a brother shortly before the crash he was having a panic attack.

original article

Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer, will sign an emergency order making the possession or sale of chemical compounds typically found in synthetic marijuana substances unlawful. The substances will be placed under Schedule I of the Alabama Controlled Substances List effective on Oct. 24.

The Alabama Department of Public Health heard testimony at a public hearing on Sept. 19 on concerns about synthetic marijuana products known by the common street names of “Spice,” “K2 incense” and others. These psychoactive herbal and chemical substances have been sold in a variety of stores and marketed online as herbal incense or potpourri.

Persons commenting at the hearing expressed concern that there is a misconception by those who purchase the substances that they are safe because of the way they are packaged and sold at a variety of retail outlets.

“These substances have been wrongly presented as a safe and legal alternative to marijuana,” Dr. Williamson said. “By supporting regulations outlawing their possession and sale, we want the public to be aware of the toxic effects and other dangers associated with synthetic marijuana use.”

original article