Herbal Incense products known as Synthetic Marijuana are the new and dangerous high.
The products are being sold across the country and in the Bay Area.
The incense come in small baggies and people are smoking it despite the label that says “not for human consumption.”
A Hillsborough County grandmother took a picture of her 8-year-old grandson looking at the products in a Tampa corner store.
Antoinette Glover is asking the City of Tampa to take a closer look at creating a local ban. She says it’s sending a bad message to local youth.
“So, if this is in a store then it means it’s ok,” said Antoinette Glover “No it’s not, no it’s not.”
Most store owners won’t talk about the product they are selling because of the controversy.
However, Leo Calzadilla, who owns Purple Haze Tobacco and Accessories, sat down with Bay News 9 for an interview.
“It’s not the product that’s illegal,” said Calzadilla. “It’s what the people are doing with it.”
Calzadilla sells Wicked X, Herbals, Space Cadet and White Widow and will not refer to them as synthetic marijuana.
“That again it is aroma therapy incense,” said Calzadilla. “And of course it’s not intended to smoke. I’m going to give you the same analogy as spray paint. Spray paint is used to spray fixtures or items but if someone chooses to go to a home depot and Lowe’s and buys a couple of cans with it and takes a paper bag and goes home and huffs on it, then obviously that’s illegal as well.”
K-2 and “spice” were banned by Florida State Law last year.
The problem is manufacturers were able to get around the law by slightly changing the chemicals.
This year, State Representative Clay Ingram (R - Pensacola) introduced another bill, after having FDLE Chemists looking at future combinations.
“You can see in the bill,” said Ingram. “The list we’ve tried to create is a comprehensive list with the FDLE, with the Attorney General’s Office, chemists that work with the good guys who’ve gone and tried to forecast what they may come up with in the future.”
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says the new combinations are coming from Asia and she plans to stop them from selling to kids across the state.
“It’s a multimillion-dollar business,” said Bondi. “And we will keep up with them every session, if I have to. W will pass new tough laws changing the compounds because they are going to stop killing our kids.“
Leo Calzadilla isn’t convinced the bill that has now passed the State House and Senate will stop Manufactures who are coming up with the products.
“I think they’re trying to create a law that’s going to be extremely hard to enforce,” said Calzadilla, “because immediately when they pass a law against one item, somebody is going to come up with a different item.”
If that happens, lawmakers say they're committed to continue the fight to get synthetic marijuana off store shelves.