Controversial -- but legal -- product
not widely known in state

By TERRI SANGINITI • The News Journal • March
17, 2010

Three Seaford residents were taken to the hospital
over the weekend after smoking an herbal marijuana
substitute, prompting police to issue a warning
about the relatively new substance that has cropped
up in the state.

Sold commercially as an incense or potpourri under
the names K2 or Spice -- Blaze, Red X Dawn, Zohai,
Gemini, Yucatan Fire -- it is marketed as an herbal
product and labeled "not for consumption."

It generally is sold in head shops as well as tobacco
and convenience stores and on the Internet. When
smoked, it gives the user a marijuana-like high,
experts said.

"While the herbs may be natural, the chemicals they
are spraying them with are certainly not," said
Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free
America Foundation and Save Our Society From
Drugs. "That's the danger. It's different chemicals
and different levels of toxicity. Just because
something is an herbal product doesn't mean it's
not harmful."

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