Legislator, mother take on drug trade

ZEELAND, Mich. (WOOD) - A West Michigan mother wants to collect thousands of signatures within the city of Zeeland in order to outlaw the sale of legal designer drug incense blends, also known as spice.

"They're making a profit off of our kids' health ... And we have to do something," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified.

"The addiction to the synthetic marijuana has been compared to an addiction to heroin," she said. "I've got a child who's stealing from the house to go buy it because the addiction's so strong."

The concerned Zeeland mother has raised three children, all of whom have struggled with incense blend addiction, according to her.

The drug is sold legally not too far from her home.

When asked why he sells it, the owner of a Zeeland liquor store said, "Because it's legal and so many customers are asking for that stuff."

He sells incense blends, also known as "smiley" in two of his three liquor stores. The small individual jars cost two for $20 or three for $25.

He doesn't sell the blends in Hudsonville because parents banned together and asked him to stop. At that store, the majority of his clientele are teenagers.

Some forms of the drug have been outlawed, but what Target 8 went undercover and purchased in his store is perfectly legal.

"If you ban only one or two chemicals, it doesn't stop anything," the store owner said. "If you want to ban this item, you have to ban all these chemicals so no one can sell it and no one can make it."

State Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) agrees.

He recognizes the law can't keep up with the manufacturers. He introduced a bill last week to make it easier and faster to instantly outlaw any synthetic drug.

"The board will come together within 10 days and declare that something is so dangerous, it's illegal. Police can respond. They'd be able to confiscate this stuff. It won't be sold in Michigan legally," Jones explained to Target 8.

Then, if Jones's bill becomes law, the legislature would have a year to decide whether or not the new drug poses a real threat.

--

Online:

A legal high: Examining designer drugs

Report: 65 treated for bath salts abuse

'Fake' marijuana growing in popularity