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SALT LAKE CITY -- Cities all over the state of Utah have either banned or are considering banning the sale of the synthetic marijuana called spice. Now, Utah's senior senator is asking the Drug Enforcement Agency to make it illegal on a federal level.
Sen. Orrin Hatch sent a letter to the DEA Acting Administrator Michelle Leonhart, saying more young people are turning to spice as an alternative to marijuana.
"They say this trend is growing to epidemic proportions in our home state of Utah," Sen. Hatch said.
He's asking for an emergency scheduling of spice to make it a schedule 1 substance, essentially removing it from store shelves all across the country. Hatch says the DEA warned law enforcement agencies about the danger of spice in March of 2009.
"I think they're concerned about it, and hopefully my letter will heighten their concern and cause them to, on a national level, start interfering with the use of spice."
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
