Synthetic marijuana has been against the law in Georgia for two months, but manufacturers are now distributing a new, legal version of the drug.

Manufacturers of the drug commonly known as K-2 and Spice have gotten around the law by altering the chemical composition of the drug. This version can’t be outlawed until new laws are put into place next legislative session.

Rheanen Frettie manages the Planet 3 head shop in Savannah. She says it’s just a matter of time before this version of synthetic pot is outlawed so they’ve made an agreement with police not to offer it to customers:

“There’s definitely a huge market for it and people are asking for it, so we could be making a lot of money selling it, absolutely, but it’s just not worth the hassle or being questioned.”

Chemists with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say that now the entire molecular structure of the drug is different-- there may be unknown and dangerous side effects.

It’s attractive to users because it provides a greater high than marijuana and is often undetected by drug tests.

Nelly Miles, a chemist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the chemical composition keeps changing with every new version of the drug:

“It’s really hard to put your finger on one effect. What we do know is that we have the published Poison Center reports about how people are reacting from smoking these drugs, so what makes them so dangerous is the unknown.”

Republican State Senator Buddy Carter, of Pooler, who authored the bill, says he plans to revisit the ban during the next legislative session.

Tags: Synthetic Marijuana, Spice, parker wallace, K-2