The DEA Pretends to Have Fake Pot Under Control  The Drug
Enforcement Administration's "emergency" ban on five chemicals
used to make ersatz marijuana took effect on Tuesday. The Drug
War Chronicle reports that the ban, which was originally
scheduled to begin in December, was delayed because of legal
challenges by fake-pot retailers. The DEA says it is trying to
"avoid an imminent threat to the public safety," as reflected in
"an increasing number of reports from poison control centers,
hospitals and law enforcement regarding these products."
Reported side effects include "anxiety attacks, dangerously
elevated heart rates, increased blood pressure, vomiting, and
disorientation." (As the Chronicle notes, these are similar to
the symptoms reported by a small percentage of marijuana users.)
DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart adds:  Young people are being
harmed when they smoke these dangerous "fake pot" products and
wrongly equate the products' "legal" retail availability with
being "safe." Parents and community