Senate puts restrictions on synthetic pot

The Senate approved a bill Tuesday to ban the use and sale of synthetic marijuana and certain bath salts that have been abused as drugs. Synthetic marijuana, sold under names like K2 and Spice, mimics the effects of marijuana and can cause side effects that include increased heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting, tremors, seizures and extreme anxiety. The bill would also put restrictions on drugs like cathinone, a stimulant found in some bath salts that law enforcement says is increasingly being abused. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/18)