Gas Station Raid Nets Fake Pot

Authorities at a Cassville Road gas station today seized a "large quantity" of synthetic marijuana and an undisclosed amount of cash suspected to be proceeds of sales of the illegal substances.

Bartow County-Cartersville Drug Task Force agents and officers executed a search warrant at , and say it led to the seizure of products sold at the store, which are marketed as Spice, K2 and other brands.

Numerous complaints about sales of the herbal blends followed by an "extensive investigation" preceded the raid, Drug Task Force Commander Capt. Mark Mayton said in a press release.

"There is no such thing as 'legal marijuana' in the state of Georgia and these products that are claiming to be synthetic replicas are no different," he said in the release. "When the illicit manufacturer is processing these substances, they are treated with chemicals that are unhealthy, unsafe and illegal."

The mixtures are not FDA-approved and many of the packages display “Not for Human Consumption” labels. Mayton said the chemicals involved are Schedule I controlled substances, "which means that they have little to no medical value and have a very high potential for abuse. It is a felony to be in possession of these substances and obviously to sell them."

Before the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used its authority to temporarily control five chemicals used to make the smokable mixtures, Georgia's House Bill 1309, which became effective in May 2010, classified them as Schedule I compounds. Less than two months later, state House Bill 1021 amended the Dangerous Drug Act to control Salvinorin A, the most abundant active ingredient in the plant Salvia divinorum. 

"Despite the passing of this legislation in 2010, the problem obviously still continues, but will be met with aggressive prosecution in the city of Cartersville and Bartow County," Mayton added in the release.                

Schedule I substances, in the most restrictive category, are unsafe, highly-abused substances with no medical usage, according to DEA. In 2009, officials noted more reports from poison centers, hospitals and law enforcement agencies involving synthetic pot.

A recent Reuters article cites reports of teens who have shown up at emergency rooms with seriously elevated heart rates and altered mental states. Closer to home, police in Woodstock said late last year pulled a gun on a coworker and tried to carjack passing vehicles.

The local drug task force, comprised of and CPD investigators, is following information gathered during its operations and expects arrests in the near future.

A man who tonight answered the phone at the 263 Cassville Road convenience store near Atco said it was open for business.