ASHLAND —
Police on Wednesday raided an Ashland business suspected of selling synthetic marijuana.
Detectives with the Ashland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section seized what the APD described as “a large amount” of synthetic marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia and cash, after executing a search warrant at Fatcats Smokes, 3050 Winchester Ave.
No arrests were made, but the case remains under investigation, said Lt. Darren Wilson, Criminal Investigations Section commander.
According to Wilson, the APD had its eye on the store for several months. There were posts on a website indicating the store was selling synthetic pot, and the department had also received reports on its Silent Witness hotline to that effect, he said.
Recently, an individual arrested by the APD on other charges was found to have synthetic marijuana in his possession and told police he’d purchased it at Fatcats, Wilson said.
The products — which were packaged as potpourri and incense and also labeled “Not for Human Consumption” — were being kept under the store counter out of public view, Wilson said. People who wanted to buy them had to ask specifically for them, he said.
Wilson said the products would be sent off to a lab for analysis and police would determine how to proceed with the case once results were back.
The Kentucky General Assembly passed a law outlawing the manufacture, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana and 2010, then modified it in 2011 to account for the different types of chemical compounds that were being used to make it. Synthetic pot is made by spraying chemicals onto ordinary herbs.
Under the law, first-offense sale and manufacture of synthetic marijuana is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. A second offense of either is a Class D felony that carries a one- to five-year prison sentence.
Possession of synthetic marijuana is a Class B felony punishable by a fine of up to $250.
Synthetic pot — which goes by the names K2, Spice, Aroma, Earth Impact, Mr. Smiley, Mr. Nice Guy, Zohai, Eclipse, Black Mamba, Red X Dawn, Blaze, and Dream, among others — has been linked to a host of adverse reactions, including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, irritability, paranoid behavior, nausea, vomiting, seizures and loss of consciousness.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or
(606) 326-2654.
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