JACKSON – Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is asking legislators to outlaw the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana across the state.
Barbour on Wednesday added the issue to the agenda of a special session that begins at 10 a.m. Friday.
Several cities and counties already have enacted local bans on the sale of the herbal mixture known by several names, including Spice, K2, Demon, Voodoo, Genie and Zohai.
“Spice is no different than marijuana and should be treated as every other controlled substance under our laws,” Barbour said in a news release.
Marshall Fisher, executive director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, said in an interview Wednesday that synthetic marijuana has been sold in smoke shops and convenience stores across the state and he worries that as the school year begins, college students will use it at parties.
Fisher said it”s usually marked as “not for human consumption,” which he calls tricky marketing because some people see it as a legal way to get high. Fisher said the chemicals in synthetic marijuana can make people ill.
“I had one sheriff tell me he had one of his local ne”er-do-wells said he likes it better than marijuana, better than the real stuff,” Fisher said. “We”ve had reports that some of the synthetic marijuana is 100 times stronger than traditional marijuana.”
The agenda for the special session also includes $50 million of incentives for a project to make biofuel from timber, and consideration of projects for D”Iberville and DeSoto County.
Only the governor can call a special session, and he sets the agenda.
Barbour”s office hasn”t revealed the name of the biofuels company or provided details about where it would be located. He said the project would generate $85 million in wages and purchasing inside Mississippi and would create 1,000 jobs through the company and suppliers.
Barbour is seeking $45 million in bond money, plus tax breaks, for a biofuels company; $4 million for related work force training; and $1 million for research to be conducted at Mississippi State University”s Sustainable Energy Research Center.
Wayne Tucker, assistant state forester and executive director of the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory, said 65 percent of Mississippi is covered in trees, and about 75 percent of that land is held by private, non-industrial land owners.
The governor is asking legislators to let DeSoto County supervisors build a new jail outside the county seat of Hernando.
He also wants the House and Senate to give coastal D”Iberville permission to sign long-term leases of city land to private developers to help with four proposed projects: a casino, an oceanarium, a retail development and a healthy living center for children.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.