Utah communities rush to ban spice; experts downplay the 'crisis'

SALT LAKE CITY — Municipalities and lawmakers are jumping on the "ban wagon" in making spice illegal, but as furor surrounds the relatively new substance, law enforcement officials and addiction specialists say it's not the new meth or cocaine.

Spice is the common term used to describe herbs that have been sprayed with chemicals known as synthetic cannabinoids, which can have similar effects on the brain as marijuana. It's sold as incense in smoke shops and gas stations, and labeled "not for human consumption," but is being increasingly smoked by people — especially young people — looking to achieve a marijuana-like high.

Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, is sponsoring legislation to make spice illegal for distribution and sale statewide, something about a dozen other states have already done or are considering.

"There's no question in my mind that this is a harmful substance," Froerer said. "My personal opinion is that it's a drug that really needs to have more than just regulation to stop the abuse."

Last week, a woman told the Davis County Board of Health that spice caused her to have seizures off and on for 10 hours, and Froerer said he's heard accounts of teenagers overdosing. Yet other anecdotal reports show zero effect on people, underscoring how varied the substances are and how they affect people.

From a law enforcement perspective, spice doesn't seem to carry with it some of the dangerous behaviors associated with other drugs.

"We're not seeing the problematic behaviors associated with spice at this time," Unified Police Lt. Don Hutson said. "And we're also not seeing all the crimes associated with it," such as robbery and theft in order to afford the habit.

Still, in recent months, several Utah cities and counties have either banned spice or are considering it. Ogden and Layton banned the use and sale of it, so did Cache County. Utah County banned it in unincorporated areas, and Davis and Tooele counties are looking at similar ordinances.

Hutson said it's great that cities are taking a stand, but the effectiveness of such bans is limited.

"That's good for them … but to think that that gets rid of spice in their city would be very naive," he said.

Hutson said law enforcement would prefer a statewide approach, whether it's regulation or banning it outright.

Froerer agrees, saying consumers in an area where it's banned can simply cross city or county lines to get the product.