[Journalists] passing along one of my stories

[Elizabeth Campbell]

Hi Kerri!

Thanks for your note.

Like you, I didn't know about the K2 trend until I started seeing ordinances 
addressing the synthetic marijuana issue on city council agendas.

Also, our tv stations have covered the story quite a bit.

I hope you are having a great summer.

Best.

Liz
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Professional Journalists List" <journalists at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 9:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Journalists] passing along one of my stories


> Hi Liz!
>
> Thanks for posting this!
> This is a very well-written story and is something I had no idea about.
>
> Again, good job and thanks for posting!
>
> Kerri
>
> On 7/31/10, Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at charter.net> wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> i thought I would post a story about a disturbing trend in our country.
>> It's about how more cities and states are banning synthetic marijuana, 
>> known
>> unders several names including K2  and K2 summit.
>>
>> I hope all is well with everyone.
>>
>> I've been busy as cities and counties are struggling with tight budgets,
>> often meaning tax increases.
>>
>> Here is what I wrote.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cleburne, Watauga, Frisco and Plano target synthetic marijuana products
>> including K2
>> Posted Friday, Jul. 30, 2010
>>
>> By Elizabeth Campbell
>>
>> liz at star-telegram.com
>>
>> A growing number of North Texas cities is rushing to pass ordinances to
>> limit or ban the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana products as
>> concerns mount over health and safety issues.
>>
>> The products are often sold under the names K2, K2 Summit, Sex and Spice.
>>
>> K2, which is sold in gas stations, smoke shops and over the Internet, is 
>> an
>> herbal product sprayed with chemical compounds that, when smoked, 
>> produces
>> "highs" similar to marijuana. But critics say it can also cause vomiting,
>> hallucinations and other effects.
>>
>> This week, city councils in Cleburne, Watauga, Frisco and Plano adopted
>> ordinances prohibiting the sale and possession of K2 and the chemicals
>> associated with it.
>>
>> Earlier, Mansfield became the first city in Texas to prohibit K2 sales to
>> people younger than 21and to prohibit the sale of "smoking devices" such 
>> as
>> hookahs, bongs and water pipes within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, 
>> homes
>> and day-care facilities.
>>
>> Fines for the sale or possession of K2 vary from $500 in Cleburne and 
>> Plano
>> to $2,000 in Watauga.
>>
>> Fort Worth is not considering a K2 ban, but Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert is
>> proposing an ordinance that would ban K2, salvia -- another product --  
>> and
>> paraphernalia used to smoke synthetic marijuana, according to a news
>> release.
>>
>> The ordinance will be discussed Monday during the Dallas City Council's
>> public safety committee meeting. If passed, it would become a class C
>> misdemeanor to sell or possess K2 with a fine up to $2,000.
>>
>> "You can find these items in slick packaging right on the shelves in gas
>> stations and head shops or on the Internet," said Dallas Mayor Pro Tem
>> Dwaine Caraway, chairman of the committee.
>>
>> "This loophole is a trap for kids," he said. "It just opens the door for
>> illegal drug use later."
>>
>> In Plano, where the council voted to ban K2 sales to everyone, police
>> anticipate brisk sales before the law takes effect Monday, spokesman Rick
>> McDonald said.
>>
>> "We have officers visiting the stores. We are asking for voluntary
>> compliance. We will start our enforcement at 8 a.m. Monday," McDonald 
>> said.
>>
>> McDonald said there have not been serious incidents in Plano involving
>> people smoking K2, but he said he worries about what could happen if the
>> product is not regulated.
>>
>> "Once it starts affecting public safety, you do have to put some kind of
>> regulation on that," McDonald said.
>>
>> Cleburne police have seen the effects while answering several calls. In 
>> May,
>> four people from an apartment complex were taken to hospitals because 
>> they
>> were vomiting and unresponsive.
>>
>> In another incident, a man thought he was in the Whataburger 
>> drive-through,
>> but he was parked behind the manager's car instead.
>>
>> A statewide law banning K2 would be a welcome relief for law enforcement
>> agencies, McDonald said.
>>
>> K2 is illegal in several European countries, but it is legal in much of 
>> the
>> United States, according to the North Texas Poison Center.
>>
>> So far, eight states including Kansas and Missouri, along with the Army,
>> have banned K2.
>>
>> The Drug Enforcement Agency has listed K2 as a drug of concern.
>>
>> State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, has said she will introduce a bill 
>> in
>> the next legislative session for a statewide K2 ban.
>>
>> "We've got to get a handle on this in the next Legislature," McDonald 
>> said.
>>
>> Elizabeth Campbell,
>>
>> Looking for comments?
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