Pure form of DXM banned
Springfield, IL - Buying or selling the pure form of a drug known as DXM will be illegal in Illinois under a plan that Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law on Thursday.
Greg Frary of Peoria, who with his wife, Linda, had lobbied for the new law, said it was "a real thrill" to learn of the governor's action.
Their son, Jonathan Frary, died in September 2003 from what authorities ruled was an accidental overdose of dextromethorphan hydrobromide. The 22-year-old Illinois State University student, a psychology major, had a particular interest in dream research and apparently thought that DXM would enhance his dreams, Linda Frary told lawmakers earlier this year.
He was able to buy the drug legally on the Internet, according to his parents.
In e-mailed comments Thursday, the Frarys called the newly passed law an important one.
"Our hope is that this will spare other Illinois parents the agony of losing their child to this dangerous drug," they wrote.
They added that they would like to see similar legislation passed either at the federal level or in each of the other 49 states.
Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is an ingredient in some cold and cough medicines. The pure form, a white powder, acts as a hallucinogen.
The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2007, will make possession of the pure form of DXM a Class 4 felony, generally punishable by up to three years in prison. Selling or distributing pure DXM will be a Class 2 felony, generally punishable by up to seven years in prison.
"The idea that kids can go online and easily get their hands on a dangerous drug is appalling," Blagojevich said in a news release. The new law will help to stop that, he added.
The measure sailed through the General Assembly this year as House Bill 4300. No one in the Senate or House voted against it.
Sponsors of the legislation included Reps. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet; Dan Brady, R-Bloomington; and David Leitch and Aaron Schock, both R-Peoria; as well as Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria; and Sen. George Shadid, D-Peoria.
posted by Pannyxeos at 11:51:00 PM
3 Comments:
And how much did he take? Nothing is dangerous unless it is done irresponsibly, or in over the top amounts. Try education instead?
22 years old is not a "kid". that is a consenting adult who should be aloud to make the choice he did.
To those of you who decided to comment on here about the fact that he was a 22-year-old consenting adult, you should be ashamed. Yes, he was consenting, and no, it was not a lack of education on his part. He was my cousin and Greg and Linda are my Uncle and Aunt. Jon was a very bright man with a very bright future ahead of him. Yes, he made the choice to use the drug but then again, that is NOT the point here. The point is that a drug in the purest form that is very deadly and dangerous should not be able to be bought LEGALLY online by anyone and everyone. Do you see websites just randomly selling marijuana legally? No. My family is trying to save other people from losing loved ones the way they did. No drug, especially in the purest form, should be that easy for anyone and everyone to access.
Of course anyone is allowed to put anything in their body at their own risk, but, it is America's responsibility to keep its people safe and this is just one step to take to make that possible. What we know about the drug today may have never been possible without the help of my aunt and uncle. Until one of you have experienced or will experience the loss of a loved one in this way then it will be impossible for you to understand what was meant by the action of making DXM harder to access. Have some respect and understanding.
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