Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state should get tougher on the synthetic drug called 'K2.'
He told reporters Monday that an arrest was made Sunday evening by State Police for the sale of 150 packets of the drug in Rochester.
Cuomo says that drug will most likely begin to spread across Upstate and Western New York.
The sale of K2 and other synthetic drugs in most municipalities is a crime to begin with, but now Cuomo says they are going after the convenience stores and bodegas where the majority of sales are made.
"The Department of Health has the authority to close down the store, we have empowered the state liquor authority to revoke a stores liquor license, and the NYS gaming commission with the power to revoke the stores license to sell lottery tickets."
The arrest was made at the Loomis and Joseph Mart on Joseph Avenue in Rochester.
Cuomo called for a series of statewide enforcement actions including increased police presence and additional sweeps in communities to combat future sales of K2.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker says K2 is supposed to mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, but in K2 it could be as much as 100 times more potent
"K2 is made of a dry plant material, sprayed with chemicals. These chemicals are often from China and change all the time."
These chemicals can cause problems with the heart and blood vessels, the nervous system and other organs.
Synthetic drugs such as K2 are something the state has been battling for the last couple of years.