"Spice" in New Mexico:
New Mexico drug court programs have been struggling this year with the spread of legally obtained synthetic cannabinoids, marketed at smoke shops and over the internet under the brand names such as "Spice," "K2," "Blaze," and " Red X Dawn," among many others. Drug tests for such substances have only recently become available, and one juvenile drug court had to detain 11 of their 20 program participants as soon as testing was implemented. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently too action regarding the chemical compounds used to create such "fake pot" products. This action will effectively designate them as Schedule I substances, making them illegal to sell or possess.
For those interested in more information on synthetic cannabinoids, the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) has two Fact Sheets available online at the following web address:
www.ndci.org/publications/publication-resources/fact-sheets
The NDCI also hosted a one-hour webinar on the subject, which is available from the NDCI's home page. To view the webinar, go to www.allrise.org and then look for the webinar link under What's New In the middle of the page.
