LEGAL 'SPICE' DRUG RAISES CONCERNS

'Synthetic marijuana' results in ER visits as calls to ban it grow

ANDERSON, Ind. - Spice, an herbal mixture laced with chemicals and
marketed as a synthetic marijuana, remains legal even as authorities
and medical professionals worry about an increasing number of
illnesses and possible deaths linked to the compounds.

Sold as incense in smoke shops, convenience stores and online under
names such as spice, K2, fake weed and genie, the product has drawn
increasing scrutiny after the death of Lilly L. Helsley, 28, of
Middletown. Helsley died on July 30, and family and friends said it
was after she smoked Spice.

She died at Saint John's Medical Center, but the cause of death has
not been officially determined.

On Thursday, state Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, announced that he
would ask a General Assembly committee to study spice and whether it
should be addressed in the 2011 session. Lanane on Thursday joined
other lawmakers who have said they will introduce bills to ban the
products, as has been done in at least eight other states.

"In light of the recent and tragic death in Middletown, this topic
deserves the attention of the legislature in order to study how this
substance is affecting families in our districts," Lanane said in a
statement.

"I intend on proposing legislation to control the substance in order
to prevent further tragedies similar to the incident in Middletown,"
said Lanane.

Dr. James Beeson, chief physician at Saint John's, said such products
should be banned. Beeson said he knew of no deaths that had been
caused by synthetic marijuana products, but he said there are plenty
of unknowns about the drug that are worrisome. "What's significant is
it's readily available," he said.

He described people arriving in emergency rooms after smoking the
product as having a range of symptoms from euphoria to rapid heart
rate and feelings of severe illness.

"The problem is it's a poorly understood substance," Beeson said.
"We're seeing patients who've smoked it before, and it seems they get
a different compound, a different batch, and they come in with rapid
heart rate, sweaty, trouble breathing. There's a stimulant side of
it."

"I would strongly encourage people to stay clear of it. It's such an
unknown, unregulated compound, and we don't know what the long-range
implications will be. It can stimulate the heart, and when you do that
you can run into some serious complications."

Madison County Coroner Ned Dunnichay said Thursday that the official
cause of death for Helsley has not been determined. He said a ruling
on the cause of her death was awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

"It's still pending," Dunnichay said. "I have no comment on the case
yet."