CITY CRACKS DOWN ON SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA

SEGUIN - The Seguin Police Department says Kush is no longer available
as an over-the-counter marijuana and they are cracking down on the
sales of the synthetic drug.

"It is a synthetic form of marijuana that has been placed on the DEA's
(Drug Enforcement Administration) list of banned substances," said
Seguin Police Chief Kevin Kelso. "Up until that point it was kind of a
legal marijuana, so folks were buying and stores were selling it like
hotcakes because it was legal to buy.

Because of the convenience of being able to purchase the substance, it
was more appealing to everyone, Kelso said.

"It is commonly sold at stores under the pretense that it is incense.
Folks are using it as marijuana," he said. "They get a very similar
high."

The consequences of using the drug can have severe effect, Kelso
said.

"We have had a few cases where people have been admitted to hospitals
because of it," he said. "It is supposed to have the same high as
marijuana and we have at least one report of where a girl smoked it
and ended up in the hospital. The lady admitted that she took Kush and
was vomiting uncontrollably and was passing out. Hours after being
admitted to the hospital she couldn't hardly talk, she was very
incoherent."

Kelso said it hasn't just been adults, who have had issues with the
substance.

"At the high school last year, there were a couple of students who
went to the hospital to get checked, I don't know if they were
admitted or not," he said.

One of the officers in the narcotics unit - who asked not to be
identified - said the substance is being marketed in a catchy way.

"Some of them say herbal essence, some say 'pot-pourri,'" he
said.

There is another problem police are coming across, the officer
said.

"There is another substance called Bath Salts that will hopefully come
up illegal," he said. "What people are doing is sprinkling it on the
Kush and they are getting an extra high off the bath salts. We have
had some parents call that said they think their kids are on the bath
salts and they look or act like they are on cocaine or meth."

Recently four stores were caught with the illegal substance.

In two days police confiscated 800 bags ranging in size worth about
$16,000 retail.

On Thursday, officers seized nearly 9 pounds of Kush, which if the
store was to be charged, would be a third degree felony.

"Some stores had it out, others have it under the counter, some in the
trunk of a car," Kelso said.

The Guadalupe County Attorney's Office has told the chief and his
officers that those caught will be charged with the same offenses as
marijuana.

"We are basically giving them warnings right now and if they get
caught with it again they will get charged," Kelso said. "We want to
make everybody aware of what it is, that it is a banned substance and
that we are going to take the appropriate measures to make sure that
we do our part to get it off the street and hold those responsible who
continue to distribute it."

Similar items included on the list are K2, Spice and Klimax.