OUTLAWED SYNTHETIC POT FINDS A MARKET IN KANSAS, MISSOURI

When it was legal in both Missouri and Kansas, the herb-based product
known as synthetic marijuana was sold openly in coffeehouses,
convenience stores and gas stations across the area.

But since legislators outlawed it last year, it appears to have moved
out of the stores and into the streets, where police are finding it
with regularity.

Kansas City police reported that investigators recovered more than 12
pounds of synthetic marijuana during an early August violent-crime
initiative. It was by far the largest amount of drugs seized in the
three-day sweep -- more than the amounts of marijuana, cocaine and
methamphetamine combined, according to the figures released by police.

"We're just raking it in," said Kansas City police Sgt. Brad Dumit.
"We're seeing it all over the place."

In another raid earlier this year, police recovered about 10,000
packets of synthetic marijuana, each weighing 3 to 5 grams, according
to Maj. Jan Zimmerman, commander of the narcotics and vice division of
the Kansas City Police Department.

More recently, a citizen complaint led to the seizure of 1,000 grams
at a retail establishment, she said.

The synthetic marijuana products are mixtures of herbs, sometimes
marketed as incense, infused with chemicals that purportedly mimic the
effects of the active ingredient in marijuana.

Most commonly known as K2 or K3, it also is called "spice" or a
potpourri of other monikers, such as "syn smooth," "blueberry
meltdown" and "head trip."

Lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri last year outlawed chemicals
used to produce it.

But a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and chemical know-how led
to slight variations in the drug's chemical makeup that weren't
covered by the law, allowing the colorfully named and packaged
substances to once again proliferate.

"It's hard to stay ahead of designer drugs," said Sen. Vicki Schmidt,
a Topeka Republican. "People designing them can be very creative."

Law enforcement officials in both states went back to lawmakers, who
this year approved new laws covering the entire class of chemical
compounds that were being used to circumvent the previous laws.

"I think the new law covers all of those variables," Zimmerman said of
the new Missouri law. "The new legislation closes that loophole."

Much of the substance uncovered in Johnson County was found to have
come from Kansas City or other parts of Kansas, said Deputy Tom
Erickson of the Johnson County Sheriff's Department.

"We've found it in all typical places where we find other illegal
drugs," Erickson said.

Schmidt, the Kansas senator, said concerns about its availability to
young people and reports of users suffering adverse medical reactions
prompted the laws.

More recently, the American Psychiatric Association announced a study
in May that found that some people who used synthetic marijuana
suffered prolonged psychotic episodes that included auditory and
visual hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

"The compounds have not been approved by the FDA for human
consumption, and little is known about their safety," the psychiatric
association reported.

Even the former research chemist who created some of the compounds 20
years ago has said that they are dangerous to ingest.

When contacted by The Star, John W. Huffman said he no longer gives
interviews. But he has been quoted in previous news stories as saying
"anyone who uses them is stupid."

Zimmerman said that research she has read showed that first-time users
who didn't regularly use other illegal drugs were more prone to
suffering more severe reactions.

It was particularly troubling that with no legal restrictions, the
substances often were available freely to anyone, including children,
she said.

In Kansas and Missouri, distribution and manufacture of the banned
substances is a felony. Possession of small amounts is considered a
misdemeanor. The Kansas City Council is considering a companion law
that would allow small possession cases to be handled in municipal
court, according to Zimmerman.

She said that police would be revisiting merchants who had previously
sold the substances legally to ensure they are complying with the new
law.

But the recent seizures show that some people are likely to continue
to produce and distribute synthetic marijuana as long as there is a
market and profits are to be had, just like with other illegal drugs.

"Marijuana is still going strong," Zimmerman said.