AZ legislators seek ban on ‘spice’

Spice, an herb often smoked as a legal alternative to marijuana, should be banned in Arizona because of its dangerous side effects, according to one state lawmaker.

“It’s highly unpredictable,” said Rep. Matt Heinz, D-Tucson, who is a physician. “The effects are so much more prominent, severe and intense as compared to naturally occurring THC or marijuana.”

Heinz is among a bipartisan group of lawmakers supporting HB 2167, which would add the synthetic chemicals commonly applied to the herb to the list of dangerous drugs banned under state law.

After hearing from Heinz and others, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed the measure, sending it to the House floor by way of the Rules Committee. It includes an emergency clause – requiring votes from three-quarters of members in each house – that would make its provisions take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.

Spice has grown increasingly popular in recent years with those who smoke it for an effect comparable to that of marijuana.

The substance most often used in spice is JWH 018, a synthetic cannaboid that mimics the effect of the chemical THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, in marijuana. It’s sprayed with a mix of other chemicals over herbs, then marketed as incense and labeled “not for human consumption.”

“It’s being falsely marketed, stealth marketed, to a susceptible population that’s been told that this is basically a legal form of marijuana and that it’s safe, and neither of these things is true,” Heinz said.

The bill’s author, Rep. Amanda Reeve, R-Anthem, said spice is especially dangerous because its strength varies from brand to brand and even from batch to batch, leading to unpredictable effects in users.

“These are designer drugs, and you just don’t know how it’s going to affect you,” Reeve said. “Someone could be allergic to this chemical, and how are they going to know when they don’t even know what the chemical really is?”

Quick facts about spice:

Composition: A mixture of herbs varying by brand sprayed with a chemical, JWH 018, that when smoked mimics the effect of tetrahydrocannibol, or THC, in marijuana.

Reported side effects: Agitation, nausea, fever, hallucinations, seizures, altered state and combativeness.

Brands: K2, Black Mamba and Wicked X, among others.

Photo by the Drug Enforcement Administration