I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2148 
To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act 
of 1998 to increase public awareness about the dangers of synthetic 
drugs through the national youth antidrug media campaign. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2013 
Mr. CARSON of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reau-
thorization Act of 1998 to increase public awareness 
about the dangers of synthetic drugs through the na-
tional youth antidrug media campaign. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Synthetics are Dan-
gerous Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) Synthetic drugs, sometimes referred to as 
designer drugs, are chemical compounds produced in 
clandestine laboratories to mimic or enhance the ef-
fects of schedule I controlled substances such as 
methamphetamine, ecstasy, and marijuana. 
(2) Given the lack of extensive medical research 
on many synthetic drugs and their various ana-
logues, the full scope of their harmful effects is not 
well understood. 
(3) The circumstantial evidence of the harmful 
effects of synthetic drugs, particularly synthetic 
cannabinoids (such as ‘‘K2’’ and ‘‘spice’’) and syn-
thetic stimulants (such as ‘‘bath salts’’) are, never-
theless, alarming— 
(A) in 2010, more than 11,000 individuals 
were admitted into the emergency room from 
complications arising from synthetic drug use, 
and nearly 25 percent of those patients re-
quired further medical treatment; and 
(B) in 2011, the American Association of 
Poison Control Centers reported more than a 
two-fold increase in the number of calls related 
to synthetic marijuana from the previous year. 
(4) The harmful effects of ingesting synthetic 
drugs include but are not limited to agitation, anx-
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iety, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, elevated blood 
pressure, tremor, seizures, hallucinations, paranoid 
behavior, and nonresponsiveness. 
(5) Like all schedule I drugs, these synthetic 
drugs are drugs that have a high potential for abuse, 
have no medical use in the United States, and lack 
an accepted safe use. 
(6) The passage of the Synthetic Drug Abuse 
Prevention Act of 2012 was an important step in re-
ducing the access of teens and young adults to dan-
gerous and addictive synthetic drugs. 
(7) New synthetic drugs are being manufac-
tured that contain chemical compounds not found on 
schedule I, as set forth in section 202(c) of the Con-
trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)), that nev-
ertheless mimic or enhance the effects of controlled 
substances like methamphetamine, marijuana, ec-
stasy, and LSD. 
(8) Hundreds, potentially thousands, of teens 
and young adults will be admitted into emergency 
rooms around the country from complications caused 
by the ingestion of the next breed of harmful, syn-
thetic drugs. 
(9) It is the sense of the Congress that there 
is an urgent need, particularly among teens, young 
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