BOONE CO. PROSECUTOR CALLS SPICE AN 'EPIDEMIC,' CALLS FOR BAN

Calling it an "epidemic" in the area, Prosecutor Todd Meyer is calling
on county commissioners to ban a drug called spice in Boone County.

Spice, an herb laced with a compound said to be 10 times more powerful
than marijuana, is legally sold as incense under brand names such as
K2, Pep and Kind, but many teens and young adults are smoking it like
pot.

A bill outlawing spice will likely be introduced in Indiana next year,
but Meyer said the county can't wait for the state to take action.

"(We are) not only interested in seeing the substance banned on
account of its mood altering effects, but more than that spice creates
a serious healthrisk to the user," Meyer said in a news release. "The
substance, when ingested ... raises one's blood pressure and heart
rate to dangerous levels.

"I am hopeful swift action can be taken before anyone in our community
is harmed - especially now that schools are going back into session
and (spice) will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion amongst the
students, who are at higher risk given their experimental
tendencies."

The county's juvenile probation department was seeing "an alarming
number" of people testing positive for spice, according to Meyer. A
call to the Boone County Prosecutor's office seeking specific numbers
and comment wasn't immediately returned.

The county commissioners will discuss an ordinance banning the drug at
their Monday meeting.