Police now making arrests for synthetic marijuana

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

by Katie Moore / Eyewitness News

wwltv.com

Posted on August 16, 2010 at 10:32 PM

SLIDELL, La. -- Just hours after Louisiana's new law banning the possession or sale of synthetic marijuana went into effect, Slidell police made their first arrest for it on Walnut Street.

“The homeowner let the officers in and when they walked in, the wife of the complainant threw it down. The officer saw it, picks it up, and it was still in the mojo/spice container,” said Capt. Kevin Foltz, a spokesman for the Slidell Police Department.

Police arrested 29-year-old Tracy Frost for violating the new law. It's sold under many names – mojo, spice, K2 – herbal incense that's laced with a synthetic form of marijuana.

“In the past year or so we've run across a lot of it, all age groups of people that are using it,” Foltz said.

Slidell Police say they encounter mojo weekly. Until now anyone could buy it at just about any convenience store or gas station.

“Parents see it in their kids' room and they just think it's incense, not realizing it's actually used for them getting high,” Foltz said.

Norma Broussard helped push for the law for the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office.

“We started doing some research, you did a story on it, and we started finding out that a lot of these kids have been using this for years and adults just did not know about it,” Broussard said.

Broussard said she also had a DUI case where the suspect admitted smoking mojo, but until Sunday, she couldn't prosecute someone for driving under the influence of it.

“Those synthetic cannibanoids have been banned. So, they're treated just like marijuana,” she said.

In Louisiana the penalties for selling or possessing mojo are now the same as marijuana. Anticipating the new law, the state police crime lab can now test for the chemicals in mojo to prove that it is, in fact, the illegal substance. But they still can't test to see if someone is under the influence of it.

“On the 13th, one of our officers ran across somebody that was in possession of it and the person even made the comment that he gets tested for marijuana and he was using this to get high,” Foltz said.

Urine and blood tests still don't show if someone has been smoking mojo. State probation and parole says a university in Arkansas is developing a test for it, but it's not yet available.

It also puts Louisiana police departments in a bind because synthetic marijuana is still legal in some counties in Mississippi. With the border just a few minutes away, it's still easy to get.

But if you're caught with it in Louisiana, you will face the same penalties as if you're caught with marijuana.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Police-can-now-make-arrests-for-synthetic-marijuana-100817334.html

:facepalm

[Bruno]

"On the 13th, one of our officers ran across somebody that was in possession of it and the person even made the comment that he gets tested for marijuana and he was using this to get high,” Foltz said.

Another example of the unintended consequences of government intervention.

[oyarde]

Fromwhat I have read, the real stuff is much better for us.

[JenH88]

Fromwhat I have read, the real stuff is much better for us.

oh yeah. definitely.

[WaltM]

that makes more sense, at least now you can't complain they punish people for smoking a natural plant.

[noxagol]

that makes more sense, at least now you can't complain they punish people for smoking a natural plant.

That's never been my complaint. They have no right to tell people what to do to themselves.

[Bruno]

That's never been my complaint. They have no right to tell people what to do to themselves.

this

As torchbearer puts it, Who owns your body?

[dannno]

that makes more sense, at least now you can't complain they punish people for smoking a natural plant.

Ya, except that they still do... If they weren't punishing people for having (smoking is NOT required to ingest cannabis, btw) a natural plant, then spice and mojo would not exist.

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

this

As torchbearer puts it, Who owns your body?


"But what about the children?"

[WaltM]

"But what about the children?"

that's actually a good argument, except it doesn't necessarily apply in this case.

[djdellisanti4]

I tried this stuff. It's ok. I heard it can get you really sick though so I'm taking the personal initiative to avoid it. The real stuff is much safer. Just think, if real weed were never made illegal, this stuff may have never existed.

But of course I don't think it should be made illegal.

[Bruno]

that's actually a good argument, except it doesn't necessarily apply in this case.

Its a horrible argument. Adults should be able to do what adults want to do.

Guns: "What about the children?"

Sex: "What about the children?"

Adult humor: "What about the children?"

Alcohol: "What about the children?"

Gambling: "What about the children?"

Pornography: "What about the children?"

Wars: "What about the children?" oh, wait...

[WaltM]

Its a horrible argument. Adults should be able to do what adults want to do.

Guns: "What about the children?"


So parents should be allowed to let their children play with guns?




Sex: "What about the children?"


Should parents be allowed to expose their children to sex before puberty?



Adult humor: "What about the children?"


that might be ok/



Alcohol: "What about the children?"


it's called neglection, do parents have an obligation to feed and care for their children?



Gambling: "What about the children?"


nothing wrong as long as you believe a parent has a right to waste money before spending it on his children



Pornography: "What about the children?"

Wars: "What about the children?" oh, wait...

porn is same as sex, but as far as wars, if you dont care about children, why do you care?

[dannno]

So parents should be allowed to let their children play with guns?

*Whoosh*

Wow, you completely missed the entire point of the argument. The argument is that adults should be free to engage in whatever activities they wish as long as it doesn't harm others. Kids are the responsibility of their parents.


But yes, parents should be allowed to train their kids how to properly use firearms.





Should parents be allowed to expose their children to sex before puberty?

In an educational format :confused:

[WaltM]

*Whoosh*

Wow, you completely missed the entire point of the argument. The argument is that adults should be free to engage in whatever activities they wish as long as it doesn't harm others. Kids are the responsibility of their parents.


But yes, parents should be allowed to train their kids how to properly use firearms.


Who gets to decide what's properly train, as opposed to play carelessly? Shouldn't kids be allowed to play carelessly with guns if parents permit it?





In an educational format :confused:

unless you have a forced curriculum as to what is "educational format", who is to say a parent having sex with their kids isn't "educational"? and in what name would you make it illegal?

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

that's actually a good argument, except it doesn't necessarily apply in this case.


From the article:


“Parents see it in their kids' room and they just think it's incense, not realizing it's actually used for them getting high,” Foltz said.

Always about the damn kids.

[specsaregood]

So parents should be allowed to let their children play with guns?

Sure, why not? although I wouldnt call it "play" but use. Hell, I brought my gun to public school in 7th grade for hunting safety classes right before deer season. so did the dozens of other kids.



Should parents be allowed to expose their children to sex before puberty?

Guess you didn't grow up on or near any farms. city-boy.

[dannno]

Who gets to decide what's properly train, as opposed to play carelessly? Shouldn't kids be allowed to play carelessly with guns if parents permit it?

I'd prefer parents to make that decision rather than the government. Giving one central authority permission to control guns due to a singular issue such as children is asking for more terror and tyranny on the population as compared to the problem of a kid here or there with irresponsible parents.






unless you have a forced curriculum as to what is "educational format", who is to say a parent having sex with their kids isn't "educational"? and in what name would you make it illegal?

Kids are not equipped to have sex until they reach puberty, so that would be abuse.


Abuse:

1. to use wrongly or improperly; misuse: to abuse one's authority.
2. to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way

[heavenlyboy34]

this

As torchbearer puts it, Who owns your body?

Answering this question will lead you FAR away from the Constitution, you know. ;):D Be careful, you might end up sounding like your buddy HB34! :cool::)

[Stary Hickory]

What if I start to sniff Draino? Will they arrest me? This is getting ridiculous.

[Kregisen]

that's actually a good argument



YouTube - It's Time To Legalize Marijuana! Judge Napolitano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GG2aM6UII)

Go to 2:58


"We've seen what happens with legal firearms, that are in the house, they're not stored properly, kids get their hands on them, terrible terrible tragedies take place and I worry what happens when you start allowing people to have pot in their house"


The Supreme Court has addressed those very issues and has basically said to the government "you can't make something illegal for an adult just because it would be harmful for a child, otherwise we'd all be living and acting like children."


OWNEDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[Bruno]

*Whoosh*

Wow, you completely missed the entire point of the argument. The argument is that adults should be free to engage in whatever activities they wish as long as it doesn't harm others. Kids are the responsibility of their parents.


But yes, parents should be allowed to train their kids how to properly use firearms.


In an educational format :confused:

Thanks for responding while I was out getting my hair cut. :)


Answering this question will lead you FAR away from the Constitution, you know. ;):D Be careful, you might end up sounding like your buddy HB34! :cool::)

I'm not scared! :D


What if I start to sniff Draino? Will they arrest me? This is getting ridiculous.

Indeed. I use the Draino example all the time when talking to people who say things that are bad for you should be illegal.


YouTube - It's Time To Legalize Marijuana! Judge Napolitano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GG2aM6UII)

Go to 2:58






OWNEDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Excellent! Love to see Anderson owned.

[WaltM]

I'd prefer parents to make that decision rather than the government. Giving one central authority permission to control guns due to a singular issue such as children is asking for more terror and tyranny on the population as compared to the problem of a kid here or there with irresponsible parents.


so it's either centralized tyranny or anarchy for you, there's no middle ground of 3rd option?






Kids are not equipped to have sex until they reach puberty, so that would be abuse.


Says who?



Abuse:

1. to use wrongly or improperly; misuse: to abuse one's authority.
2. to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way

and who should punish these parents, if anybody?