[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2148 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2148

To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act 
  of 1998 to increase public awareness about the dangers of synthetic 
       drugs through the national youth antidrug media campaign.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2013

Mr. Carson of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act 
  of 1998 to increase public awareness about the dangers of synthetic 
       drugs through the national youth antidrug media campaign.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Synthetics are Dangerous Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Synthetic drugs, sometimes referred to as designer 
        drugs, are chemical compounds produced in clandestine 
        laboratories to mimic or enhance the effects of schedule I 
        controlled substances such as methamphetamine, ecstasy, and 
        marijuana.
            (2) Given the lack of extensive medical research on many 
        synthetic drugs and their various analogues, the full scope of 
        their harmful effects is not well understood.
            (3) The circumstantial evidence of the harmful effects of 
        synthetic drugs, particularly synthetic cannabinoids (such as 
        ``K2'' and ``spice'') and synthetic stimulants (such as ``bath 
        salts'') are, nevertheless, alarming--
                    (A) in 2010, more than 11,000 individuals were 
                admitted into the emergency room from complications 
                arising from synthetic drug use, and nearly 25 percent 
                of those patients required further medical treatment; 
                and
                    (B) in 2011, the American Association of Poison 
                Control Centers reported more than a two-fold increase 
                in the number of calls related to synthetic marijuana 
                from the previous year.
            (4) The harmful effects of ingesting synthetic drugs 
        include but are not limited to agitation, anxiety, nausea, 
        vomiting, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, tremor, 
        seizures, hallucinations, paranoid behavior, and 
        nonresponsiveness.
            (5) Like all schedule I drugs, these synthetic drugs are 
        drugs that have a high potential for abuse, have no medical use 
        in the United States, and lack an accepted safe use.
            (6) The passage of the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act 
        of 2012 was an important step in reducing the access of teens 
        and young adults to dangerous and addictive synthetic drugs.
            (7) New synthetic drugs are being manufactured that contain 
        chemical compounds not found on schedule I, as set forth in 
        section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
        812(c)), that nevertheless mimic or enhance the effects of 
        controlled substances like methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy, 
        and LSD.
            (8) Hundreds, potentially thousands, of teens and young 
        adults will be admitted into emergency rooms around the country 
        from complications caused by the ingestion of the next breed of 
        harmful, synthetic drugs.
            (9) It is the sense of the Congress that there is an urgent 
        need, particularly among teens, young adults, and parents, to 
        raise awareness about the dangers of these new synthetic drugs.

SEC. 3. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF DANGERS OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS 
              THROUGH NATIONAL YOUTH ANTIDRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

    Section 709 of the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
Reauthorization Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C. 1708) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ``and synthetic drug 
        use'' after ``illegal drug use''; and
            (2) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection (m) and 
        inserting after subsection (k) the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Drug.--The term `drug' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 702(3) and includes a synthetic drug.
            ``(2) Synthetic drug.--The term `synthetic drug' means an 
        artificially produced substance that, as determined by the 
        Director, is an analog or derivative of a controlled substance 
        (as defined in section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act 
        (21 U.S.C. 802(6)), but is not itself a controlled 
        substance.''.
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