Guadalupe’s ban on the sale of synthetic drugs went before the City Council for second reading and approval on March 24. On March 10, the council voted 4-0 to ban the distribution, use, and sale of synthetic drugs marketed as bath salts and incense.
“The ordinance was proposed against a proactive measure of the effects and use of spice or similar synthetic drugs,” said Police Chief Gary Hoving. “There is a lapse in state or federal law covering the use of these drugs recreationally. We don’t have a huge problem in Guadalupe today, but I would like to have the tools in place so that we can deal with spice or similar drugs.”
Spice refers to a family of synthetic chemicals modeled after various molecules found in marijuana. Variations on THC and other cannabinoids are added to an herbal substrate and sold as incense. Although packaging materials for many varieties warn spice is “not for human consumption,” it offers an alternative to those who can’t get their hands on naturally grown marijuana or who need to pass a drug test.
State and federal law prohibit the distribution of certain kinds of spice, but new variants crop up quickly enough that neither the DEA nor the California Legislature can keep pace. To fill the gaps in state and federal legislation, municipalities have passed bans and ordinances to stop the flow of spice. The Lompoc City Council banned spice in November 2013.
Chief Hoving wouldn’t comment on whether synthetic cannabinoids are available for purchase at any brick-and-mortar stores in Guadalupe. He cited an encounter between Guadalupe police officers and a young person high on spice where a Taser was used during an arrest.
“It’s certainly rare to use a Taser on a juvenile,” he said. “The reaction to spice, which he acknowledged he had just used prior to our contact, was extremely unpredictable. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a violent reaction to someone under the influence of regularly cultivated and grown marijuana. With this substance known as spice, we have seen the violent reactions.”
In January 2014, the New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial that cautioned synthetic cannabinoids are becoming more potent and that their use has been associated with seizures, strokes, and cardiac problems. Some have linked spice with rashes of hospital admissions in New York and Colorado. The medical and psychological effects of the dozens of varieties of synthetic cannabinoids are still not well understood.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 2, 2015.