A newly formed committee to study ways to regulate and control the designer drug known as Spice held its first meeting Wednesday.
The committee was created by legislation signed in the last session. Senator Molly Kelly of Keene was the legislation’s author and is now the Chair of the study committee.
“There’ll be different components than just looking at the criminal law. We can look at even our consumer protection law on labeling.”
Experts from the State Police Forensic Lab told the committee that out of more than 70 spice samples tested in recent months, 75% of them tested positive for illegal substances. More than 20 of those samples were seized following the recent spike in overdoses.
Manchester police say they’ve noted about 50 Spice-related overdoses so far this month.
Spice is a synthetic drug meant to simulate the effects of marijuana, but authorities say it can be dangerously potent.
The second meeting of the study committee is scheduled for next Thursday.
