The College Fix

A new form of synthetic marijuana has made its way onto store shelves despite an August law that banned previous forms of the drug.

House Bill 173, authored by Rep. Ricky Templet, R-Gretna, made it a crime to possess, sell or manufacture the synthetic drug commonly referred to as herbal incense.

But manufacturers have found a loophole in the legislation, resulting in new packs of herbal incense and now, more commonly, “aromatic potpourri.”

The legislation banned particular chemicals and substances found in the previous synthetic marijuana, but the new products use different sets of chemicals that offer the same results, said Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson, one of the bill’s sponsors.

Henry said HB 173 combined several authors of legislation from across the state that dealt with the same issue, and it focused primarily on chemicals.

“We need to find a better mechanism to deal with this. We can’t keep picking chemicals,” he said. “We are currently working with the National Conference of State Legislatures to see what other states are doing to address the problem.”

Aromatic potpourri, which typically costs about $20 for a 3-gram package, can be found at head shops and local convenience stores, including the Jubilee Food Store at the Valero gas station on College Drive, with names like “Nola Diamond,” “Purple Flake” and “Voodoo Remix.”

Read the full story at the LSU Daily Reveille.

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