Synthetic Marijuana Sold In Coachella Valley Banned By DEA

It goes by K2, Spice and Mr. Nice Guy, but it’s anything but nice.

Your kids know about it, and you should too. It’s a synthetic marijuana, that when smoked gives you the same high as the real stuff. It doesn’t have the same THC chemicals as marijuana so you can’t test for it.

We went undercover to see where it’s sold in the Coachella Valley. At the time of our investigation it was legal in California. We found it being sold at a smoke shop in Indio.

The package we bought is strawberry flavored. It’s wrapped in a colorful bag. Many parents believe the creator of the K2 is marketing it towards kids. Hours after smoking K2, Bonnie Davel’s son, Charlie, drove his car 100 mph before crashing to his death.

“I really feel that had he not smoked K2, he would be here. I believe that K2 caused him to panic or hallucinate.”

K2 is sold in valley smoke shops. Buyers must be 18 years or old, but many stores don’t check I.D. It’s sold on the internet for $20 to $60.

Paul Chabot runs the Coalition for a Drug Free California. “There are so many synthetics out there our kids have so many pressures approaching them,” he said.

Susan Douglas had never heard of the dangerous so-called herbal incense. “That’s wrong, that’s wrong. It’s setting them up for marijuana it’s an entry path,” said Douglas, a mother of two teenagers.

On Wednesday, the Drug Enforcement Administration banned all chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana. The DEA’s temporary ban on chemicals in fake pot will go into effect sometime in the next 30 days. The DEA is using its emergency powers to ban it for at least a year as the federal government considers whether to control the substances permanently. When inacted, pocessing or selling the chemicals or product will be illegal.

For more information about keeping kids off drugs go to www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com