Macomb's Mark Hackel Outlines County's K-2 Ban
MACOMB COUNTY (97.1 The Ticket) Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel joined the Stoney and Bill Show Tuesday morning to talk about his county's "bold plan" to ban retailers selling K2 or similar products.
K2 or Spice is typically herbs sprayed with chemicals and sold under the guise of incense, unfortunately however, people are smoking it to get a dangerous high. For instance, Tucker Cipriano's attorney says the teen was "hallucinating" on Spice when he allegedly killed his father with a baseball bat.
Macomb's enforcement of the ban went into effect at 2 p.m. Monday.
"The problem's been, it's ongoing ... This K-2 product we've been hearing about for quite some time," Hackel said, adding, "The last couple of months have been absolutely, incredibly intense."
The state is debating what it can do to outlaw the now-legal drugs, and Hackel said his county is using its own initiative in the meantime.
"If you're going to be a good corporate realtor... Why would you have this product on your shelf?" Hackel asked, adding that he wouldn't buy "a pack of gum" from anyone selliing Spice.
While Oakland County is handing out window stickers for gas stations and party stores that proclaims the establishment is free of synthetic pot, Macomb did something different: They got an order under the auspices of "imminent danger" that lets the sheriff's department and local police confiscate any synthetic marijuana on the premisis and either issue a $200 fine or put the retailer in jail for six months.
"This is an imminent danger, a health hazard issue," Hackel said. "That's when we said 'Let's take this bold approach' ... I don't of anybody who's not on the bandwagon now."
Any retail outlet can also get a placard for their business that proclaims them free of synthetic pot, and Hackel is asking consumers to let the Sheriff's Department know if they see synthetic pot on any local store shelves. Report an offender HERE.
"They just have to give us the address and information," Hackel said. 'Why would you put profits before the public?... It just doesn't make sense."
Has there been a spike in crime from Spice or K-2?
"There have been some pretty incredible cases," Hackel said, discussing a case where one young lady told police an "incredible, horrific account" of what of she described as a rape, then later recanted the story and said she was addicted to spice and, Hackel said, "didn't know what she was doing or where she was at."
"They just can't seem to get control of their lives," Hackel said of K-2 addicts. Learn more about Spice HERE.