New York has broadened a ban on synthetic marijuana to keep up with drug makers who create new chemical recipes to evade the existing law.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Thursday that the state health department has approved tougher regulations to include new compounds of synthetic pot. While the drugs were first created to mimic the effects of marijuana, their chemical makeup is far different, and new formulations have been created by chemists looking to evade a 2012 ban.
Adverse effects from synthetic marijuana abuse prompted more than 2,300 emergency room visits in the state between early June and Aug. 1. That's 10 times more than the same period last summer.
The governor says the state will continue to monitor evolving chemical formulas and will ban more compounds if necessary.
© 2015 Associated Press
