Two Illinois (IL) state senators are encouraging their colleagues to pass two bills that would ban synthetic drugs known as bath salts, K2 and spice. The bills have already passed in the Illinois House. Synthetic drugs are substances that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

The newspaper reports that the legislation is intended to cover a large number of the many variations, both known and unknown, of synthetic drugs so that new legislation does not need to be enacted each time a new synthetic drug is created to evade previous bans.

The Herald News reports that the bills would amend the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.  State Representative Tom Cross told the newspaper, “We’ve worked in this bill to use a generic definition broad enough to cover the whole category because there are dozens if not hundreds of chemically related substances that may be used in this way.”

Synthetic drugs are causing a sharp rise in serious health problems ranging from seizures and hallucinations to death.