A week after Greenwood joined a growing list of Indiana communities in banning the sale of "spice," or synthetic marijuana, the prohibition appears to be accepted.
Greenwood Police Sgt. Tim McLaughlin, also a City Council member, introduced the measure that was approved 7-0 on Sept. 8. He said this week that he has heard from a few parents but little rumbling from merchants.
The council fast-tracked the measure, suspending the rules after it was introduced that night to whip it through first and second readings. It took effect the next day, Sept. 9, but officials also expected to allow a little time to get the word get out before cracking down on merchants.
Penalties for violation of the new ordinance are staggered, said City Attorney Shawna Koons.
A first violation carries a $50 fine; the second, a $150 fine; and the third, a $300 fine. Fines for fourth and subsequent violations are $1,000, she said.
Spice is sold under various names, including K2, Pep and Kind. It typically is marketed as incense, with a label saying that it is not intended for human consumption, and it retails for about $20 a pack, which allows for about four "highs."
Unlike marijuana, the use and possession of spice-like products is not yet illegal in Indiana, although a measure to prohibit it is likely to be introduced in the next session of the Indiana General Assembly.
The Boone County Commissioners recently approved a ban on the sale of spice and the Lawrence City Council and the Indianapolis City-County Council also are considering the issue.
Lawrence's proposed ordinance will go before the full council next month. If approved, it would impose a $2,500 fine against businesses selling the synthetic marijuana and a $1,000 fine against individuals doing so.
All of the ingredients of spice are not really known, because it is not regulated, said retiree Dr. Dick Huber.
He has crafted a resolution to be introduced to the Indiana State Medical Association to condemn the product and to ask the American Medical Association to seek action on a national level.
Huber wants the product to be under Food and Drug Administration oversight.
Huber, a former family practitioner, has been doing tobacco education with young people for 20 or 30 years.
At such a session last spring at Center Grover High School, he asked students about "gateway" drugs that can lead to the use of more dangerous substances.
"One of the students asked, 'What about spice?' " he recalled.
That was the first Huber had heard of it, so he went online in search of information. Poison-control officials listed possible effects from inhaling spice, including seizures and rapid heart rate.
Huber said he even ordered some and tried to figure out what was in it. The ingredients list included exotically named herbs, but none that he could identify as the source of the alleged "high."
He doesn't want young people to use spice, but he also wants the federal agency to get involved to scrutinize the product.
Huber is worried about the known and the unknown.
"I have difficulty with anybody taking something when they don't really know what it is," he said. "If I offer you a pill and just say, 'Here, this will make you feel good,' do you say, 'OK, I'll take a chance.'
" 'I'll just see what it's going to do.' "
