Drug abuse is a major problem, so it is not surprising that drug-related proposals are significant topics of discussion among legislators this session.
The Local section of Wednesday's News Tribune reported action on three proposed bills, including:
• A medical marijuana initiative was advanced unanimously by members of a House committee, after they tightened restrictions to prevent misuse.
• Senators moved closer to enacting a tracking database to prohibit prescription drug abuse, following years of inaction amid privacy concerns.
• A House committee heard a bill to create a pilot program to identify forms of synthetic drugs, including concerns about financing startup and operational costs.
We favor both the medical marijuana bill and prescription drug database, provided sufficient safeguards are put in place.
Although one loosens and the other tightens drug restrictions, we believe these measures are not incompatible. Both are designed to promote the proper medical application of drugs, while restricting the recreational or abusive usage of substances.
The proposed pilot program to identify synthetic drugs is a worthy concept facing practical hurdles.
State Rep. Bonnaye Mims, D-Kansas City, said the proposed Missouri Highway Patrol initiative would focus on identifying "designer" drugs, including synthetic cannabinoids, which mimic the effects of marijuana, and synthetic cathinones, which mimic amphetamines.
These substances, more commonly known as "spice," are marketed as bath salts or plant foods not for human consumption.
The proposal faces two obstacles. One is cost, estimated at $5.5 million in fiscal year 2016 and more than $2 million for each of the next two years. Another is that identifying synthetic substances is a moving target; when a synthetic drug is criminalized, producers change a minor chemical component to create an equally effective, but legal drug.
Drugs - prescription, natural, synthetic - are pervasive in our society. At their best, they cure maladies and alleviate pain. At the other end of the spectrum, they cause aberrant behavior, addiction and death.
Because of the propensity for misuse, lawmakers are wise to scrutinize these proposal and to move cautiously. The goal is to enhance medicine and prohibit mayhem.