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The Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office has confiscated several pounds of synthetic Marijuana known mostly by the name of K-2 that was surrendered by two area stores. Sheriff Jason Bridges stated that he had received several complainants about two local stores selling synthetic Marijuana.
On September 1, 2011 the 82 legislature enacted the first laws against synthetic marijuana classifying the drug in the Texas Health and Safety Code. There were several key compounds in the drug that were made illegal. Since that time, manufactures of the drug, have attempted to skirt the system and are continually changing the compounds in the drug of synthetic marijuana to bypass the law.
This has made enforcing the law very difficult for area law enforcement. Sheriff Jason Bridges stated that we are seeing this drug more and more on our streets and it is becoming increasingly popular with our youth. Right now when we come across the drug, all we can do is seize it and send it off to the lab for testing. Law Enforcement authorities have to wait for several months for the results of lab test results to see if the drug contains the compounds that have been banned illegal. If the results from the laboratory test are positive, then warrants are obtained for the offense that was committed.
The Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office is seeking voluntarily compliance from stores that are selling the synthetic marijuana. Sheriff Bridges stated that he does not believe that business who are selling the product are informed of the legal consequences of what can occur if the product contains banned compounds. Store owners are taking a very big chance on the merchandise they are selling from reputable manufactures.
Sheriff Bridges stated that the manufactures of this synthetic marijuana are by no means reputable. Most of the packages that are sold contained no information on them, or who is manufacturing the product. A store may be unknowingly selling a banned compound form of synthetic marijuana that is coming from an unreliable source.
Selling just four grams or one package of the material is a felony of the 1st degree. As you can see the consequences can be very serious. Then we have to look at the health and safety issue that the drug presents to our general public. This is a drug that has had some serious impacts on our youth all across our nation. There have been numerous reports of many using the drug that would later have to be institutionalized in a mental facility. We are seeing an increase in the use on our streets and increase of patients that have used the drugs in our hospitals.
Sheriff Bridges stated that the synthetic marijuana confiscated will be sent to the DPS lab for testing. We have about 20 different name brands of synthetic marijuana being sold here in Nacogdoches. When we get the results back from those test we will be able to know what different name brands are in violation of the law, this will help the Sheriff Office be more aggressive in enforcing the current law. Sheriff Bridges will also use the results of those test to encourage law makers to ban the other substances that are currently getting around the law by using different compounds in there synthetic Marijuana.
The Sheriff Office encourages the community to speak with their children about the harmful side effects that synthetic marijuana contains. The increase in the drug popularity with our youth and the easy access to the drug is a big concern.