Addict: 'Spice is the worst by far'

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - He says he's been addicted to all kinds of drugs, but Spice, he said, is the worst.

"Heroin, cocaine, and this is the worst, by far the worst because it's so easy to get," he said. "You don't have to go look for it; you don't have to call anybody; you can just walk to the store. It's right there."

But at shops across West Michigan, supplies of so-called synthetic marijuana, sometimes sold under the brand names Spice and K2, are dwindling.

That's because on July 1, a state law will go into effect that bans the sale of synthetic pot.

On Monday, the user walked away from the Columbia Avenue One-Stop shop empty-handed. There were just four bags to choose from.

"That was Spice, but it was just cheap stuff," he said. "It wasn't even worth smoking or anything."

State police say they believe dozens of shops across West Michigan sell Spice-like herb. It's as easy to buy as a bag of pretzels, with prices from $5 to $10 for a tea-bag sized packet.

While the chemically treated herb is sold as incense, shop owners say they know that many users smoke it.

It can cause health problems and violent behavior, especially among young people.

"You get sweats and you get irritated and you get angry if you don't have it," the user said. "That stuff's horrible. It messes your head up really bad. I lost a lot over this, a lot."

In Holland, Nirvana is a head shop -- where you can still get incense flavors with such suggestive names as Toke-a-Cola, Cotton Mouth Candy and Convicted Melon. Supplies there also are running low.

The manager at Nirvana said she has set her own rules for selling it, such as checking IDs to make sure the buyers are at least 18, though the law has never required that. She's grateful for the new law.

"I think it could be a good thing," she said. "I don't really think that this stuff is very healthy at all and, obviously, people are misusing it; so things that get misused, they get taken away."

Still, she plans to sell it until the law goes into effect.

"I morally feel like what I'm  doing is not right, but then again, it was legal, so then obviously what I was doing wasn't wrong."

At Purple Haze, west of Cedar Springs, they say they've stopped selling it. At Purple East in Grand Rapids, they sold out the last of their supplies on Monday.

Back in Holland, at the Columbia Avenue One-Stop, the user who walked away empty-handed also was grateful.

"I'll be the first to tell ya, I'm glad they got rid of it," he said. "Thank you, without a doubt thank you."