WASHINGTON – The father of an Indianola teen who died after using a legal synthetic drug will share his story at an upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on the dangers of synthetic drugs. The hearing, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, will take place Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. CT.
Mike Rozga will testify about how his 18-year-old son, David, committed suicide in 2010 shortly after smoking a legal, yet dangerous, synthetic marijuana known as “K2.” Following his son’s death, Rozga has worked to increase awareness about the dangers of synthetic narcotics, which can cause severe hallucinations, seizures and violent behavior.
Makers of synthetic marijuana are able to sidestep laws prohibiting the products by modifying outlawed ingredients and marketing them as not for human consumption. Legally-available synthetic drugs have been attributed to overdoses and violent behavior, and the use and abuse of synthetic narcotics is on the rise.
Tuesday’s hearing, titled “Deadly Synthetic Drugs: The Need to Stay Ahead of the Poison Peddlers,” will be streamed live HERE.
