Wasilla ordinance targets synthetic drugs

WASILLA — It’s been nearly two years since a 15-year-old girl almost died on a downtown street after a bad reaction to a synthetic drug colloquially known as Spice.

Since then, Mayor Verne Rupright said he’s been troubled by the increasing use of synthetic drugs that skirt the edge of legality by packaging themselves as a type of incense. Not technically the illegal drug Spice, these mixtures, known as “potpourri,” use different chemical additives to produce a high when smoked, Rupright said.

“Who knows what’s in those particular mixtures?” he said. “It’s a health and safety issue. When somebody starts tinkering around with chemical additives, it can be bad.”

That’s why Rupright and Wasilla Police Chief Gene Belden are urging Wasilla City Council to approve an ordinance that would outlaw the possession and sale of those synthetic drugs. It’s basically the same ordinance adopted by the Municipality of Anchorage recently, which targets the misleading packaging of the substances, Rupright said.

“How many people are really using it for the ‘intended purpose’ on the package?” Rupright said. “If you ever saw one of the packages, which costs $25 to $30, you open it up and it looks like a nickel bag of weed.”

With names like Bliss, Meow Meow, XXX, Dead Man, Smokin’ Dragon, Rippler, Sippin Syrup, Reggie’s Blend, Funky Green Stuff and Hammer Head, to name a few, it seems clear these blends of herbs and chemicals are not truly intended to be burned as potpourri, Rupright said.

City council passed an introduction of the ordinance at its last meeting on Monday, and set the proposal for a public hearing and vote on Feb. 24. In the wake of resident complaints and Anchorage’s move to outlaw the synthetic drugs, Rupright said the time is right for Wasilla to follow suit.

“There have been enough citizen concerns and complaints about this, and some policing issues,” he said. “Apparently, it’s a problem everywhere. (Wasilla police) have run into a number of cases with people high on it, we’ve had parents articulate concerns as well as businesses around town. We’ve seen enough and heard enough.”

Then there’s the story of the teen girl, the mayor said.

“It’s really not comforting that you had a 15-year-old girl drop dead on Main Street,” he said. “Apparently, she was smoking bath salts or something. She died on that sidewalk and we revived her.”

Known as Spice, bath salts, Ice and K2, the synthetic drugs are also illegal in Alaska. While state law deals with the chemical substances in the mixtures, the Wasilla ordinance targets the packaging. That’s because people have been getting around state law by treating the herbs with different chemicals, Rupright said.

If passed, the Wasilla ordinance would outlaw the sale of any substance in which “the label is in any way false or misleading, or which does not contain a label specifying: a. the identity of the commodity; and b. the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor.”

It also defines synthetic drugs as “any product to which any synthetic chemical or synthetic chemical compound has been added which has no legitimate relation to the advertised use of the product, whether or not the label meets the requirements herein.”

Possessing or selling synthetic drugs would each be punishable by a $300 fine, according to the ordinance.

Along with being a public health issue for Wasilla, Rupright said he’s also concerned that Anchorage’s recent move with its ordinance could drive synthetic drug use and sales to the city.

“Absolutely, you bet that’s a concern,” he said. “With Anchorage shutting down the gas stations and smoke shops and god knows who else was selling it, they’ll come out here.”

While that may be a concern at city hall, some of Wasilla’s smoke shops have already stopped selling the synthetic potpourri.

At The Shack on Herning Avenue just down the street from Wasilla City Hall, the Frontiersman purchased a package of Spice there while researching a story on synthetic drugs in 2011. The shop has since stopped selling the substances, and even has a sign on its front door proclaiming, “We don’t sell potpourri. Stop asking!”

An employee at another local shop, Up N Smoke, said that store also quit selling synthetic potpourri either.

While existing shops may not be involved with synthetic drugs, without an ordinance there’s nothing to stop a proliferation of new shops from opening, Belden said. With Anchorage’s move, the chief fears Wasilla could become a prime market for those businesses if it’s legal to sell.

“We’re getting more and more of these little shops in the city of Wasilla and more people are applying to come into the city,” he said. “If we can regulate Spice and Ice and all the other names you want to call this, maybe they won’t want to come. It’s a big business.”

The problem isn’t exclusive to Wasilla or Southcentral, Belden said.

“Everybody nationwide is dealing with this,” he said. “If I can prevent it from coming into the city, that’s good for the city. We’re small communities and our schools are in these small communities, and if (access to synthetic drugs) is in walking distance form schools, they’re going to get it.”

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269

or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.

What: Wasilla City Council meeting

Why: Public hearing on synthetic drug ordinance

When: 6 p.m., Feb. 24

Where: Wasilla City Hall, 290 E. Herning Ave.