Pa. lawmaker pushes for synthetic marijuana ban

A top Pennsylvania state House Democrat will take another stab at banning synthetic marijuana next year.Lehigh County representative Jennifer Mann’s bill passed the House on a near-unanimous vote this year, but the Senate never voted on it.She needs to start the process again when the new General Assembly gavels into session in January.Mann says teenagers are getting sick from the synthetic weed.”The scary thing to me is that young people feel this is a safe alternative to smoking marijuana,” she says. “Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe. The law just hasn’t caught up to it yet.” The product is sold as incense, under the brand ‘K2’ and other names. Mann says it’s expensive price of $50 or more proves people aren’t buying it for the smell.