An ordinance to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana in West Lafayette won’t go before the city council until September, but two businesses apparently have pulled the product from their stores’ shelves.

Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said he hand-delivered voluntary “cease and desist” letters last week to Amused Clothing, 316 W. State St., and Citgo gas station, 101 W. State St.

He spoke in person with Amused owner Bob Krusinski and, that same day, was told by an Amused employee that the product — known as “spice” — would no longer be sold, Dombkowski said.

Employees at Citgo also told Dombkowski its owner agreed to comply, the police chief said. He verified Monday that spice was not available for purchase there.

A copy of the cease and desist letter also was kept on-hand by Citgo employees, and could be viewed upon request.

“These were not orders — they were requests for them to cease selling spice. I’d like to reiterate that both businesses voluntarily complied,” Dombkowski said.

Purdue University junior Kevin Carter said he agrees with the move to pull the product from campus-area shops. He said during the first weekend of school, he was surprised by the number of people who were talking about trying it.

“When people talk about it, it seems like it’s something illegal. Might as well ban it,” he said. “They whisper and try to keep it quiet. People actually talk about smoking weed more freely than they talk about that stuff.”

Spice is an herbal mixture marketed as incense or aromatic potpourri that is sold under brand names that include K2, Spike Max and Spice Gold.

Some people smoke spice as a legal alternative to marijuana because it’s coated with a synthetic chemical that mimics pot’s effect. However, spice is said to be 10 times stronger and can cause hallucinations.

Aaron Price, a Lafayette resident and former Purdue student, said he thinks the product still is too risky to consider due to its short time on the market.

“When you talk about cigarettes and alcohol, you have generations of people who have been doing that, and you know the negative side effects,” he said. “To this day, no one can seem to explain to me exactly what (spice) does to you, or if I’ll get cancer, or if I’ll die.”

Dombkowski said West Lafayette will still look at an ordinance banning the sale of spice and other marijuana alternatives. The proposal is on the city council’s agenda for its Sept. 7 meeting.

First-time violators would face a $250 fine.

“Right now, these are the only two known businesses,” Dombkowski said of Amused and Citgo. “Just because they’ve stopped, it’s not going to prevent others from setting up shop.”

The Lafayette City Council and Tippecanoe County commissioners also are expected to review ordinances in September that would prevent businesses and people from selling spice.

Attempts to reach Krusinski and Citgo owner Dan Patel for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

Deputy Chief Dave Payne of the Lafayette Police Department said Monday that his agency has not prepared cease and desist letters — largely because the number of businesses selling spice in Lafayette is unknown.

But Chief Don Roush said he welcomes the idea.

“It would be good to give them a heads up,” Roush said. “After thinking about it, we may draw something up. I hope to try and make contact beforehand and then, from there, let the ordinance run its course.”

You can read more about last nights checkpoint in the Journal and Courier article below:

A joint sobriety check in Tippecanoe County netted one six arrests Thursday night.

A reported 115 vehicles were stopped. Here’s a look at the results.

• 1 driver arrested for operating while under the influence and placed in jail.

• 1 driver arrested for being a habitual traffic violator and placed in jail.

• 1 driver arrested for driving while suspended and released.

• 3 drivers arrested for never receiving a drivers license and released to appear in court later.

• 1 driver was cited for false vehicle registration and cited to appear.

• A field sobriety test was given to one driver and the driver was found not intoxicated. He was released.

Lafayette Police worked with officers from West Lafayette, Purdue and the county prosecutor’s office. Members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the Drug Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County were in attendance.

Thank you cards and a small gift were given to the sober drivers.

HealthDay reported Aug. 13 that alcohol ads have virtually disappeared from magazines with more than 30 percent of readers under age 21.

However, magazines with a greater than 15 percent youth-audience composition overexposed youth to alcohol ads, generating 74 percent of youth exposure in 2008. Half of the industry’s magazine-ad spending from 2001 to 2008 used this strategy.

Also, although youth exposure to distilled alcohol ads fell by 62 percent in such magazines, exposure to beer ads rose by 57 percent.

The full report, Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising in National Magazines, 2001–2008, is available on the CAMY website.

“There are more kids out there that are like you than you think,’’ he said, although by study’s end half of the abstainers had begun drinking. “Put yourself in a position to explore more of the good things of college, intellectual and also social. There are plenty of other things that don’t revolve around alcohol.’

mnE Ps dnt bleev der is a gNR8N d/c b/t em n thr teen. (Text Message Translation: Many parents don’t believe there is a generation disconnect between them and their teen.) How much do parents really know about their teen’s world? Especially as teens adapt to new technologies so quickly?

Test Your Knowledge about Teen Life and Lingo:

1. What do “space cakes” and “skittles” have in common?

• They are popular snacks
• They are sold in many convenience stores
• They are harmless-sounding names for drugs
• They are sold as high-energy drinks and contain high doses of caffeine

2. Who have the media dubbed as “prosti-tots”?

• Teenage girls who date older guys to get drugs
• Scantily dressed teenage girls who emulate young, wild celebrities
• Teens who bring more than one date to a party
• Drug dealers who are known to deal to children

3. What is a “poke”?

• Making fun of someone over text messaging
• A new term for a teen’s car
• An online form of flirtation on a social networking web site
• A rude way to get someone’s attention in class

**Find The Answers at www.theantidrug.com/parentchronicles **

Teens may be a hard study, but knowing more about their world and the influences around them will help you connect better with your teen.

Research shows that parental monitoring is effective in reducing risky behaviors among teenagers. In fact, teens who are not regularly monitored by their parents are four times more likely to use illicit drugs¹. And while 80% of parents believe that alcohol and marijuana are not available at the parties their teens attend, 50% of teen partygoers attend parties where alcohol, drugs or both are available².

There is good news. The majority of teens still report that their parents – not their peers or the media – have the biggest influence on their decision to stay away from alcohol or drugs. Visit www.TheAntiDrug.com/parentchronicles to learn more about how parents like you are bridging the gap with their teens and helping to keep them drug free.

Action Items for Parents of Teens: These tasks take you a step closer to bridging the generation gap with your teen. To learn more about how parents like you are connecting better with their teens, try these action items.

• Pick up your teen’s mp3 player and go to the “top 25 most played” section. Listen for references to alcohol, drugs, or other risky behaviors. Then talk with your teen about what you heard.
• Visit social networking sites like MYSpace.com, and browse the profiles of teens your child’s age to see what they say, what their interests are and what they are doing online.
• Can you name your teen’s favorite TV show? Watch it with him or her and discuss story lines.
• Go to a video sharing web site and type in “smoking weed.” Watch some of the videos. Did you know that your teen might be exposed to these images?

¹Metzler, Rusby, and Biglan. Community builders for success: monitoring after school activities. Oregon Research Institute. 1999

²The National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XI: Teens and Parents. The nationa Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. August 2006.

Lafayette-area residents who want to buy spice or K2 — a legal mixture of herbs coated with a synthetic chemical that mimics marijuana’s high when smoked — could soon have to go outside Tippecanoe County.

Law enforcement leaders are pushing government bodies here to adopt ordinances that would prohibit spice from being sold in the community. Their concerns are prompted by what officials perceive to be growing popularity of the herbal mixture, particularly among youth.

The synthetic chemical is said to be 10 times more powerful than marijuana.

Recent encounters between patrol officers and people who admitted being on spice troubled Lafayette Police Chief Don Roush.

“We had to use force on one guy,” Roush said. “Another officer interviewed a guy on spice … who described hallucinations.”

Boone and Morgan county commissioners passed similar bans this week. The first reading of Lafayette’s proposed ordinance could go before the Lafayette City Council at its next monthly meeting on Sept. 13, Roush said.

Specifically, it would make it illegal for businesses and people to sell or barter synthetic cannabinoids. If passed, violators would be fined up to $250.

A draft of Lafayette’s ordinance was given to West Lafayette city attorney Eric Burns for review, according to West Lafayette Police Chief Jason Dombkowski.

West Lafayette could have its own proposal ready for the city council by September, Mayor John Dennis said.

Student reactions

John Peck, a sophomore at Purdue University, supports pulling spice from local shelves. Though he has never witnessed the effects of spice, Peck said its fast-growing reputation as a dangerous drug is reason for concern.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about it … but anything that gets such a bad rep so fast can’t be good for you,” he said. “It sounds like what they want to do is only affecting the small number of people who openly buy it.

“It’s also going to keep them from introducing it to new users before it gets bigger. It sounds good to me.”

Ezra Benet of Lafayette disagrees. He thinks area legislators and law enforcement leaders are overreacting because of spice’s following.

“I think they need to do more testing first. It’s like they want to ban everything they don’t agree with,” he said. “I’m not saying that it’s good for you — I really don’t know.

“I just think there are other dangerous substances they should be more concerned about. Ban alcohol and cigarettes. We know for sure they can kill you.”

Question of use

Spice and K2 typically are marketed as incense or aromatic potpourri, often with labels that say the mixture is not meant for human consumption. However, some users began smoking it as they would marijuana to get a legal high.

Because spice is not meant for consumption, its use is not regulated.

Amused Clothing, which has one store in West Lafayette and another in Lafayette, is the only shop in Tippecanoe County that sells spice.

Dombkowski said he met with the stores’ owner earlier this summer to discuss spice’s popularity in the community.

Attempts on Tuesday to reach Amused Clothing owner Bob Krusinski for comment were not successful.

“It’s a very popular item right now,” Dombkowski said. “With the amount that has been sold in our community, it’s not being sold just for incense. With the quantity they are selling, they have to know that some of it — if not all of it — is being smoked for human consumption.”

In the emergency room

Dr. Marc Estes, the chief of emergency medicine at St. Elizabeth Regional Health, said spice can cause acute psychotic episodes and hallucinations. He’s personally witnessed people on spice and described them as more combative — a sharp contrast to marijuana users, who typically are nonconfrontational.

Though spice and marijuana affect the same neuro-receptor, Estes said, spice’s effect is stronger and quicker.

“Some of the effects of the drug, at times, is similar to the effects of other hallucinogens, such as PCP,” the doctor said.

“They seem to be resistant to some of the normal methods of calming and restraining a patient.”

St. Elizabeth first began seeing patients who admitted using spice this past spring, Estes said. He estimates currently seeing about two patients a week.

Typically, they come in for treatment of psychological disorders, such as depression or suicidal thoughts, and intoxication-related issues, Estes said. They’ll then later admit to using spice.

“I think it’s a problem for multiple reasons,” Estes said. “It’s a brand new drug, so we don’t know all of the short-term effects. We certainly don’t know the long-term effects.

However, spice’s popularity in Tippecanoe County could be disputed. Several college-age people who were stopped by the Journal & Courier on Tuesday on the Purdue University campus said that they never heard of the product.

Twisted Minds, another local head shop and tattoo parlor, does not carry the product. On Tuesday, Twisted Minds employees told the Journal & Courier they do not sell spice because of reports that it was hurting customers.

State action possible

The proposal of local ordinances comes as several Indiana lawmakers have announced plans to introduce state legislation that would make the sale and possession of spice a crime.

State Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, is one of them. He’s been working on a draft for four months.

“I have two teenagers. When you have two teenagers, you are pretty aware of what is happening on the streets,” Alting said. “It’s a bad, bad substance.

“Until we can get something passed at the state level, I’m encouraging communities to pass their own ordinances to get it off the shelves.”

By law, cities and counties cannot pass ordinances that would make something a crime.

Alting said he is trying to determine what penalties would best fit his spice legislation. He said some prosecutors are in favor of treating spice like other hallucinogens, unlawful possession of which is considered a felony.

Others believe it should be treated like marijuana, which begins as a misdemeanor, depending on the amount.

“I’m leaning more toward marijuana on the penalty portion myself,” Alting said. “To throw a young kid in prison for a long period of time for making a poor choice, I’m not sure I support that.”

Alting is planning to consult with Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington and Sheriff Tracy Brown.

Tippecanoe County Commissioner John Knochel said the commissioners could review a spice ban at its September meeting.

Harrington said Tuesday that he believes spice should be considered a controlled substance similar to LSD and mushrooms, which would make possession and selling a felony.

“Those substances have a higher criminal (penalty) and are classified as more serious because of the effects on the body,” Harrington said. “I believe (spice) should be a felony given the serious health threat this drug is.”

Partial ban already in effect

Although spice or K2 is legal, Tippecanoe County’s Forensic Diversion Drug Court recently chose to include it on a list of substances that participants cannot use.

One person was rejected from the problem-solving court because he admitted using spice, said Judge Michael Morrissey of Tippecanoe Superior Court 6, who supervises Drug Court.

“We’ve heard stories from people who used it and became ill,” Morrissey said. “It’s a mind-altering substance, and we don’t want people in drug court using any mind-altering substance.”

Katy Travis, Program Director for the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County, said she is happy to see progress being made to ban spice at the local level.

“We think it’s important to move forward at the community level because they can make changes faster than the state can,” she said. “We’re excited to see the community taking a stand against something that is dangerous and prevalent in our community.”

Travis said the coalition first learned of the product a few months ago. She added that because spice producers have the freedom to alter their products, it is difficult to survey its use and popularity.

“All K2 is not the same across the board,” she said.

What’s next

Ordinances banning the sale of synthetic marijuana substitutes could be up for review as soon as next month.

The next West Lafayette City Council meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at City Hall, 609 W. Navajo St.

The Lafayette City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at City Hall, 20 N. Sixth St.

The next Tippecanoe County Commissioners meeting is 10 a.m. Sept. 7 at the County Office Building, 20 N. Third St.

Click here for health and safety tips, issues, action steps, and hotlines to help you stay safe and healthy in college.

The Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County last week awarded $162,000 to 17 local agencies and programs that work to keep the county drug free.

THE BACKGROUND

The grants, which were handed out Wednesday afternoon during the coalition’s annual meeting, are awarded to organizations in four categories: law enforcement and judicial, treatment and intervention, prevention and education, and state incentive grants.

According to a coalition release, the money comes from fees assessed to people convicted of drug- or alcohol-related offenses in Tippecanoe County courts.

This year’s awards were up from last year’s total of $150,573.50.

THE RECIPIENTS

Here is a list of the 2010-11 grant recipients and how much each was awarded: