Gov. Snyder Expected to Sign Into Law K2, Spice Ban on Tuesday

The ban on the synthetic drugs would go into effect on July 1.

Critics of the synthetic drug known as K2 or Spice have been calling for a statewide ban on the substance, which can have powerful side effects. On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign into law a ban on the drug, which has been sold legally because it is marketed as herbal incense or potpurri and is labeled "not for human consumption." The Detroit Free Press reports: "One of the bills updates the list of chemicals used to make synthetic drugs and would make them illegal to possess and sell. The ban would go into effect July 1." Other legislation would go into effect immediately and authorize the state to temporarily ban a substance if officials decide it poses an "imminent danger to people's health. It is designed to allow health …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Ferndale City Council Approves Policy Against K2, Spice

Resolution opposes the sale and use of synthetic marijuana in the city and asks the Michigan Legislature to ban its sale and possession statewide.

The city of Ferndale is taking a stand against products such as K2 or Spice. City Council approved a resolution Monday night that opposes synthetic marijuana and urges the state to do the same. The resolution states that the Ferndale City Council opposes the "availability and use of herbal incense products consisting of plants and other materials treated with synthetic cannabinoids within the city of Ferndale" and "requests the Michigan Legislature adopt legislation banning the sale and possession of these dangerous substances as soon as possible." Last week, Ferndale Police Chief Timothy Collins sent notices to about 30 local vendors asking for participation in an initiative that would discontinue the sale of the products in the city and …

• Photos (1)

Live Web Chat Today: Brighton Addiction Team to Answer K2 Questions

What do you want to know about Spice and other synthetic drugs? Our team of experts will be here live from noon until 1 p.m. Tuesday with the answers.

Spice 101: What is it? Where Does it Come From? What are the Side Effects?

With so much being said in the media about Spice, Patch takes a look at some cold hard facts about the synthetic drug. Also, listen to a young adult's first-hand account with the deadly substance.

It’s been cited as the cause of 18-year-old Bloomfield Township resident Oliver Smith’s death and is alleged to have influenced 19-year-old Farmington Hills resident Tucker Cipriano’s fatal attack on his family. It’s called Spice, or K2, but what exactly is this increasingly infamous substance? The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines “Spice,” as “a wide variety of herbal mixtures that produce experiences similar to marijuana (cannabis) and that are marketed as ‘safe,’ legal alternatives to that drug.” However, NIDA, law enforcement officials and doctors in the Metro Detroit area say the substance is anything but “safe.”  Although Spice is commonly defined as “synthetic marijuana,” Dr. Sanford Vieder, director of Botsford Hospital's …

• Videos (1)

REPLAY: Brighton Addiction Team Answers K2 Questions

Addiction team from the Brighton Center for Recovery Hospital answers viewers questions during live web chat. Check out the chat transcript.

It was a lively and infomative debate between viewers and a team of addiction specialists from the Brighton Center for Recovery Tuesday during the one-hour live web chat on about K2 on Patch.com. Dr. David Yanga, addictionoligist and family practitioner, along with John Furey, Brighton counseling supervisor and Scott Masi, Brighton addiction outreach specialist, were on hand from noon to 1 p.m. to field readers' questions. To read a transcript of the chat, click on the Cover It Live box. For more information, visit the Brighton Center for Recovery Hospital.

•  19 Comments
• Photos (2)
• Videos (1)

Ferndale Partners with Businesses Against K2, Spice

While city officials work on an ordinance prohibiting synthetic marijuana, about 30 local businesses have voluntarily agreed not to sell the substances.

The city of Ferndale is partnering with area businesses to keep synthetic marijuana off store shelves. On Monday afternoon, Ferndale Police Chief Timothy Collins sent notices to about 30 local vendors asking for participation in an initiative that would discontinue the sale of synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to as K2 or Spice, in the city. Officers from the Ferndale Police Department received "overwhelming support" for the initiative, with every business owner contacted complying with the request. Collins said only one place was still selling it – and it agreed to immediately stop – and some others had stopped after learning of the recent incidents in media reports. "We've got a good community where the people understand what's …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Oakland County Initiative Aims to ID Businesses That Don't Sell Spice

Sheriff Michael Bouchard says public pressure is the "best weapon" to fight the sale of the synthetic drug tied to three Oakland County deaths.

As public concern grows over a synthetic drug legally sold in Michigan, Oakland County officials have announced an initiative to identify businesses that have decided to keep it off their shelves. County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Sheriff Michael Bouchard on Friday urged Oakland County retailers to pledge not to sell K2/Spice and other synthetic designer drugs. The county will issue a window decal to business owners who notify the county that they will not sell synthetic drugs. The sale of K2/Spice has gained attention state-wide, but especially in Oakland County, where it has been connected with high-profile murder cases in Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield, and the death of a Bloomfield Township teen. In a press release issued …

• Photos (2)

Citgo Asks Gas Stations to Stop Selling Spice

In a letter, a company leader asks local owners to stop selling Spice or K2—a synthetic form of marijuana—at all of its stations, effective immediately.

Citgo has asked the owners of its gas stations to stop selling K2 and Spice—a synthetic form of marijuana. The sale of K2 and Spice has caused concern for many parents and local officials in Michigan, and Alan Flagg, the general manager of light oils marketing for Citgo, joined the outcry. In a letter dated May 31, Flagg asked the local owners of Citgo stations to stop the sale of K2 at locally-owned, Citgo-branded locations, even in states where the substances are legal, including Michigan. “Substances such as synthetic marijuana and Bath Salts, sold under a variety of names, including Spice and K2, have proven to be harmful substances, especially for teenagers,” Flagg wrote in the letter. “At least 40 states have banned their sale in …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (2)
• Documents (1)

Mark

11:45 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Well no in fact if Americans united to boycott Citgo it in fact would hurt Chavez financially. Ultimately most people will do what is convenient but I know that my dollars will not support his deplorable regime.   more ›