By McKenzie Martin

Three Republican senators introduced a bill on Monday that would add the synthetic hallucinogen 2C-E, the drug responsible for the death of a 19-year-old man and the hospitalization of 10 others in Blaine last month, to the controlled substance list.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dan Hall of Burnsville, would make the synthetic drug illegal by the end of the summer.

Federal law has been unclear as to the legality of 2C-E. While not listed as a controlled substance, the DEA has identified it as an illegal analog of a controlled substance – a drug that is structurally similar and produces similar effects to an illegal drug.

In the case of the Blaine death last month, authorities said the drug was bought legally on the Internet.

Synthetic drugs have been the topic of much debate among lawmakers in recent months. In February, the House approved a bill to ban synthetic marijuana that is still awaiting a Senate vote, and the DEA recently put a one-year ban on five chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana.

McKenzie Martin is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.