THE GROWING BUZZ ON 'SPICE' -- THE MARIJUANA ALTERNATIVE

In the small backroom of Capitol Hemp, a head shop in Adams Morgan, a
worker dutifully arranges an array of ceramic pipes displayed in a
well-lit glass case. Another clerk helps a couple of customers as
they peruse a selection of bongs and vaporizers.

Stored behind the counter is another amply stocked product whose
popularity is booming: "spice," the generic name for a legal
"synthetic marijuana." Capitol Hemp owner Adam Eidinger said that in
the 18 months since he began stocking spice, demand has doubled each
month, and its sales now represent a third of his revenue. On some
Fridays, he said, his two District stores can bring in $10,000 from
the sale of spice alone.

In the District and most states across the country, it is legal to
buy and sell spice, whose crushed green leaves are sprayed with
various man-made chemicals. When smoked, the treated leaves can
produce a marijuana-like high.

But alarmed by its growing use and questions about its safety,
lawmakers in a number of states have begun taking action.

Last week, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) became the latest to sign a
state ban. In March, Kansas was the first state to outlaw the
product, followed by Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.
Lawmakers in other states, including Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and
Louisiana, are working on bans. Similar legislation has not come up
in Virginia, Maryland or the District.

Gil Kerlikowske, President Obama's drug czar, said in an interview
that the substance is "on our radar" but added that he thought state
legislatures are dealing well with the issue.

But others decry what they see as a knee-jerk reaction from
lawmakers, making the synthetic marijuana product the latest
substance at the center of an ongoing debate about the merits of prohibition.

"We have never had any complaints or concerns from customers,"
Eidinger said. He added that he began stocking spice products after
several requests from customers. "We always ask the manufacturers if
there is anything illegal in the products. We only use the products
we trust, and if it is made illegal in D.C., we will stop selling it."

At his shop, customers show ID to prove that they are 18 or older,
then enter a room where they can study a sheet of paper listing the
available brands of spice. For $55, they can buy three grams of K2
Summit, packaged in shiny foil. Those wanting a fruity option can go
for Pep Pourri at $22.50 a gram.

Scott Rupp, a Missouri state senator, said he backed the ban for good
reason. "We were getting reports from local law enforcement that this
was exploding among the youth population," the Republican said. "We
were getting reports of kids hurting themselves and showing up in the
emergency room as they were sick from it."

The fact that spice cannot be detected by drug screening has also
made it popular with other groups, including parolees, according to
drug experts. Eidinger said many of his customers are in the armed
forces. "They sometimes buy a $400 batch before going on tour," he said.

A lack of data and controlled testing make it difficult to determine
the drug's safety. And there are no official estimates of its growing
use. But there has been a significant bump in calls to poison centers
concerning spice. Nationwide, the American Association of Poison
Control Centers logged 567 cases across 41 states in which people had
suffered a bad reaction to spice during the first half of 2010. Just
13 cases were reported in 2009.

In the Washington area, where several stores stock spice, the
National Capital Poison Center has received six to eight reports from
people who had taken the legal drug since the beginning of the year,
said Cathleen Clancy, a doctor at the center.

Manufacturing Questions

Drug Enforcement Administration officials say spice products are
manufactured both in the United States and in foreign countries, but
little is known about how the products are made or who makes them.
Wholesaler Web sites are secretive about where they obtain the
product, and wholesalers themselves did not return calls seeking comment.

The packages containing spice state that it is to be used as incense
and not meant for human consumption or to be smoked, a point
reiterated by many who sell it. "Smoke inhalation may cause
light-headedness and be harmful to your health," reads one package of K2.

On Internet forums, users have reported a range of experiences after
smoking spice -- from feeling little to feeling the same kind of
euphoria, increased heart rate or paranoia that marijuana can
trigger. Some have reported more extreme reactions, such as hallucinations.

According to police reports cited in news accounts, one person in
Texas suffered seizures after smoking two types of spice together. In
Iowa, an 18-year-old suffered a panic attack and committed suicide
after smoking spice with friends last month, police said.

"We're getting extreme anxiety in many patients, agitation,
heightened heart rate and blood pressure," said Anthony Scalzo,
medical director of the Missouri Poison Center. "I've done emergency
medicine for 28 years and toxicology for 22, and I don't see that
kind of effect generally from a patient who comes in having taken marijuana."

The DEA has begun to test the products, but it is difficult because
several substances are being used to create spice.

Marilyn Huestis, chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the chemicals had been
developed by several university medical researchers to study the part
of the brain responsible for hunger, memory and temperature control.
The compounds, known as synthetic cannabinoids, mimic the effects of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ingredient in cannabis that gives
users a high. They were not, however, designed for human consumption.

"These different, synthetic compounds are up to 100 times more potent
than THC and have not been tested on humans," she said. "When people
take it, they don't know how much they're taking or what it is
they're taking."

Internet-Fueled Sales

DEA Special Agent Gary Boggs said the chemicals can be purchased in
pure form on the Internet, which has helped them spread across the
country. "We think there is potential for long-term, adverse effects
on the brain, the lungs and the heart," he said.

Others are skeptical of the dangers. Peter Rugg, a writer for the
Pitch, a Kansas City weekly newspaper, gathered with a group of
volunteers last year to test the drug. One regular pot smoker said it
was similar to weak marijuana, according to Rugg. An occasional
cannabis user became nauseated. When Rugg smoked it, he said, it
reproduced the effects of marijuana for a short time.

"I do think the reaction from some states has been a bit hysterical,
but it seems to be the sort of thing we should really study for a
little bit before we decide it is dangerous," Rugg said in an
interview. "I smoked it a couple of times from different batches, and
there was never a moment where I thought I was going to hallucinate
or go and do anything crazy."

Lawmakers ought to take up more pressing concerns, he said. "Kansas
and Missouri both have huge budget shortfalls but, despite everything
on their plates, this became the number-one priority," he said. "To
me, it was such a silly thing to get so riled up about."

Eidinger, who is also known locally as an advocate for D.C.
statehood, said banning spice would simply push it underground. He
also said that laws criminalizing cannabis have driven people to use
the murky alternative.

Scalzo, whose Missouri poison center has received 60 calls this year
from people who have used spice, urged caution.

"I'm concerned we don't know what's in there, or the quantities that
are in there," he said. "Some people may argue you shouldn't ban
something when you don't know what's in it. But when the public
health is of concern, I think it's right to act."