Are the days of police arresting people for distribution of marijuana over? Are we about to see a steady decrease in Tampa marijuana possession charges? No the laws surrounding marijuana possession have not changed but fake weed has arrived in Tampa and currently, it is perfectly legal.
ABC Action News has published a story on its website about a product called K2 or spice which is being sold in Tampa as an incense. The price ranges from $20-30 per gram and according to an undercover report by ABC it took a password at one smoke store to buy the K2 in Tampa which contains a synthetic form of THC, which according to the story makes K2 have the same effect as pot.
ABC interviewed quite a few people for their story and got one former marijuana addict to tell them that the product is very similar to marijuana. On the other side Cynthia Younger with Poison Control says people who use K2 have reported seizures, vomiting, hallucinations and nausea. She goes on to talk about the fact that there is no quality control with the product.
While the product may be legal Tampa police warn that you can still be arrested for a DUI in Tampa even if the product that is impairing you is perfectly legal. Driving around town smoking spice will get you a DUI arrest, they warned. Politicians and others are weighing in on the fake pot as well. State Representative Darryl Rouson said there are lots of products on the market that people can use to get high that are totally legal and it is impossible to pass legislation against them all. The United Way on the other hand is studying synthetic marijuana and may push to have it banned down the road.
