DRUG-LIKE LEGAL HERBS RAISE FEARS

Sussex County officials are sounding the alarm over incense products
that can be smoked to create a marijuana-like high.

The products, known as "K2" or "Spice," are herbs sprayed with
synthetic cannabinoids, creating a sensation that replicates pot while
staying within the law. An increasing number of states are banning the
substance.

Critics of the product say its incense aspect is a red herring for the
marketability of what amounts to fake marijuana purchasable by all
ages, despite a warning label that reads "not for human
consumption."

The substance has not been approved by the FDA, and little is known
about its possibly dangerous effects. Hallucinations, extreme
headaches, an increased heart rate and panic attacks have been
attributed to use of the substance.

K2 and Spice are usually purchased over the Internet or in convenience
stores.

"That's the latest thing," Newton Police Chief Michael Richards said
of Spice. "It's generally not what we find to be in the best interest
of public safety for kids to be able to go down and buy things like
that."

Becky Carlson, a director at the Center for Prevention and Counseling
in Newton, said there is increasing anecdotal evidence of use among
county youth.

She said a local overdose death this year involved a mix of drugs that
included Spice. Another person picked up a DUI after using the product.

Following the center's policy, she did not disclose identifying
information in either case.

The key compounds in the product only show up on certain drug screens,
adding to its hazy reputation, officials said.

The Quick-Mart in Newton sells a variety, but the owner said kids
aren't the ones buying it -- it costs nearly $30 for just a small vial.

He said it is the customer's responsibility to decide what to do with
the product.

"That's their business," he added, declining to provide his name. "To
us it's just another product."

Following the leads of other states and countries, a state legislator
from Monmouth County wants to ban certain chemicals used in the product.

Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angeli's bill seeks to place cannabis-like
compounds HU-210, JWH-018 and JWH-073 on the list of Schedule I drugs
that have a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use.

The product's chemical origins are traced to research by a Clemson
University professor who in 1995 studied the effects of cannibinoids
on the brain.

The compound's ingredients were then used by companies to market the
incense, although the professor has been quoted as saying human
consumption is foolish and dangerous.

"The danger, obviously, is you don't know what you're doing and it's
flying under the radar," Angeli said. "It's Russian roulette."