The Need for LB 811: Keeping K2 Away From Our Kids

By Attorney General Jon Bruning 
Each year, my office presents a legislative package comprised of measures designed to provide additional safeguards for Nebraskans. LB 811 is one of the most critical pieces of legislation proposed this year. LB 811 amends the statewide ban to include new chemical compounds used to make the deadly drug K2. 
As Attorney General, I’ve made protecting children my top priority. Because of that commitment, my office worked with Senator Ken Schilz to draft LB 811, the most comprehensive K2 ban in the country. 
K2 is a synthetic drug sold online and in head-shops across the state. The K2 products, marketed as potpourri or incense, often have cartoon characters on the packaging with names such as Scooby Snax and Mad Hatter. The colorful, whimsical packaging does nothing to convey the very real danger of using the drug. K2 causes users to hallucinate, have panic attacks and seizures. Last year, we heard devastating reports of Nebraska teens losing their lives after using this drug. Nobody wants to see another life lost to K2. 
I know criminals will always look for ways to slip through the legal cracks. And as states have moved to ban K2, new ways have been found to make variations of the drug. 
Those who are peddling these drugs aren’t just basement cooks – they are professionals. The compounds are developed by people who know what they’re doing and how to circumvent the current ban. They are chemists, working in professional labs looking to get rich from creating and selling synthetic cannabinoid combinations. For each substance banned, a chemist will combine it with others – creating compounds that aren’t directly addressed by current law. 
This bill provides a comprehensive ban on K2 formulas and compounds, regardless of minor changes made by the manufacturers. 
It’s time to get K2 off the shelves, prevent its accessibility and protect our kids from this increasingly popular and dangerous drug.