A panel of lawmakers voted to approve a rule that adds 75 synthetic drugs to the list of substances that are banned in Vermont.
At a meeting of the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules Thursday, lawmakers OK’d an amendment to the state’s rule on banned substances to expand the list of drugs that are deemed illegal.
In part of an effort to keep state policies up to date with new developments in illicit drug sales and abuse, the Vermont Health Department proposed adding the substances to the list.
The 75 new substances include some synthetic cannabinoids — chemical combinations designed to mimic the effects of marijuana — as well as aceto-fentanyl, an additive sometimes mixed into heroin.
The chemical makeup of so-called “designer drugs” can vary greatly depending on who produced it and where it came from, making it difficult for law enforcement to regulate them.
State toxicologist Dr. Sarah Vose told VTDigger last month that the department intends to update the list of banned substances annually in order to keep up with the latest synthetic substances.
The Health Department draws up the list using data collected by the state forensics lab, as well as taking input from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and peer reviewed journals.
Lawmakers postponed the vote on the rule from a meeting in July, wanting to get more information on threshold amounts for drugs that are legal when prescribed by a doctor, but illegal if possessed in certain amounts.
The rule allows prosecutors to seek an enhanced penalty if someone is found to possess more than a threshold amount of certain substances, including the painkillers hydrocodone, valium, morphine and others.
The amendment approved by the committee Thursday clarified the language in the section on thresholds for possessing those drugs, but did not make any policy changes.
