Moms waging war against designer drugs

ZEELAND, Mich. (WOOD) - Protestors were able to convince the only businessman in town selling designer drugs to stop by picketing outside of his store.
 
The owner of AJ's Grocery and Liquor told 24 Hour News 8 that he stopped selling incense blends, or spice, in his Zeeland store earlier this week, five days after the June 1st protest.

"I think it's great he stopped selling at the Zeeland store. I think that's fantastic. That's exactly what we wanted," said Lynn Prins, a mother against designer drugs. "We don't have any stores in the city of Zeeland that are selling and I think that's fantastic. But he is still selling at the Holland store."

24 Hour News 8 discovered he's not the only business owner in Holland selling the drug--making this quite a feat for Prins and Anita Cushman, who is also against designer drugs.
 
In fact, synthetic drugs are sold legally in stores all around the country.
 
But Cushman and Prins won't stand-by and watch it happen. The two mothers told 24 Hour News 8, they've painfully watched spice affect their family members.

"When it's in your family, it hits home. It's a tough thing to deal with," said Cushman. "It's just not fair that someone's making a dollar off of someone else's misery and that its hurting people."
 
After success in Zeeland, they're preparing protests for Holland as well.
 
"We talked to the Zeeland Council [and will] talk to the Holland Council and see if we can get them to get on board and try and get this out of Holland as well," said Prins.

"We are willing to go to the stores in Holland and picket at those individual stores," Anita Cushman said.

Both Prins and Cushman want to see Michigan legislators ban the drugs from the shelves.

The Michigan House Judiciary Committee passed legislation to give the State Department of Health the power to temporarily ban any seemingly dangerous drugs. The State Senate already passed the bill in May.