Bills would ban drug and track meth-making

The Judiciary Committee heard testimony Jan. 19 on two bills that would make it harder to access certain drugs in Nebraska.

LB19, introduced by Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy, would expand the Uniformed Controlled Substances Act to ban the class of synthetic cannabinoids used to make the drug commonly known as K2 or Spice.

“K2 is a very dangerous drug that has appeared in our community,” McCoy said.

Treatment centers and drug courts began to see the use of K2 beginning last year, he said, adding that the Legislature should ban it before it becomes any more widespread.

“It’s hard to comprehend and explain how concerned parents are,” McCoy said.

Christine Gabig, a forensic scientist for the Douglas County sheriff’s office and a proponent of the bill, said that K2 is three to 100 times more potent than marijuana.

Named after the second highest mountain on Earth, she explained, the drug is a synthetic compound sprayed on herbs and sold as incense. Some of the symptoms of inhaling the drug include seizures, loss of consciousness and paranoia, she said.

“Because it’s legal, there’s this public perception that it’s a safe thing to do,” Gabig said.

Corey O’Brien, Nebraska Assistant Attorney General, also testified in support of LB19, saying K2 is the number one drug threat that Nebraska currently faces.

Zach Dickman, a 16-year-old Sidney High School student, testified in support of the bill, saying that he crashed his truck after smoking K2 with some friends before school.

He had a dream that he was driving, Dickman said, and woke up in his truck to find he had smashed into a tree.

“I wasn’t quite sure where I was and how I got there,” he said, adding that he had driven past nearby schools and later learned he had narrowly missed hitting a young child.

“I am very lucky to be alive and not to have injured or killed anyone,” Dickman said.

Paul Carter, executive director of PRIDE Omaha, also supported the bill, saying it would allow law enforcement and prosecutors to take action against people who use and sell the drug.

K2 is a $100 million dollar per year business, he said, “We must get it off the shelves.”

The committee also heard testimony on a second bill brought by McCoy. LB20 would implement a statewide electronic tracking system for purchases of methamphetamine precursor chemicals at the point of sale.

McCoy said this method of tracking would better detect “smurfing” — the purchasing of small amounts of pseudoephederine from several locations — conducted by those who make methamphetamine in order to avoid being discovered.

Terry Wagner, sheriff of Lancaster County, testified in support of the bill, saying the practice has become a problem among pharmacies statewide.

The committee did not take immediate action on either bill.