U.S. Senator Proposes Banning 22 Synthetic Drugs After Rash of Overdoses in New York

Following reports of 130 suspected overdoses linked to synthetic drugs in New York last week, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a bill that would ban 22 synthetic drugs.

While some synthetic cannibinoids are banned under federal law, people who make the drugs continually change the chemical compound to stay one step ahead of authorities, CNN reports. Schumer’s bill would outlaw variants of “K2” and “Spice,” as well as variants of the opioid fentanyl.

“New York’s most recent K2 binge that left our ER’s bulging and streets strewn with stupefied users with zombie-like symptoms are a sign of what’s to come if Congress doesn’t act quickly,” Schumer said in a news release.