MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Monday's vote to outlaw synthetic marijuana in Duluth, Minn., could spark discussion of a possible ban in Moorhead, but so far the city has received no such requests, Mayor Mark Voxland said.
"With this incident in Duluth, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear something now," Voxland said Tuesday. "But I think it was underneath everybody's radar screen, and I think this will probably get people excited a little bit."
Duluth City Council members voted unanimously to outlaw synthetic marijuana, the first city in the state to do so.
Commonly called K2 or Spice, synthetic marijuana is sold as herbal incense and is sprayed with JWH-018, a chemical that when smoked is said to mimic the effects of marijuana's active ingredient, THC.
Voxland said he expects the state Legislature to tackle the issue quickly next year. State Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport, said in July she plans to introduce legislation to ban synthetic marijuana.
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A city-approved ban would likely have less bite because violating city ordinances is generally a misdemeanor, Moorhead Police Lt. Tory Jacobson said.
Voxland said there's no push at the city level to ban the product, which is sold by three Moorhead shops.
"We've had no requests from either our police force or from any citizens or council members at this point that we should look at such a ban," he said.
North Dakota's Board of Pharmacy banned JWH-018 in February, citing public health risks. The drug has been known to make users agitated and anxious, causing elevated heart rates and blood pressure and, in some reported cases, tremors and hallucinations.
First responders answered a call late Monday from a 21-year-old Fargo man who said he had overdosed on synthetic marijuana and needed help. He was taken by ambulance to Sanford Health, but police couldn't release his name or information about his medical condition, Fargo Sgt. Mark Lykken said.
Opponents of banning synthetic marijuana contend that no one has died from the drug and that alcohol and tobacco are more harmful substances yet remain legal.
Fargo police are among those who want the drug banned in Minnesota.
"It's very convenient for people to travel across the border and obtain the drug and then come back to our city," said Sgt. Mat Sanders, who heads the department's narcotics unit.
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Since May 1, Fargo police have pursued 16 cases of possession of the Schedule I controlled substance, a Class C felony.
"We are definitely continuing to see the drug. It's not slowing down by any means," Sanders said.
The Cass County State's Attorney's Office has charged out about a dozen cases, Assistant State's Attorney Tracy Peters said.
While most cases have been resolved through plea agreements, Peters said defense attorneys are challenging the constitutionality of the pharmacy board's action.
"I would imagine at some point we'll have to take it up to the North Dakota Supreme Court and try to get an answer on some of this stuff," she said.
Mike Nowatzki is a reporter at
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by
Forum Communications Co.
