Colorado Store Fined for Selling Synthetic Cannabis

Recently, a store in Colorado was fined $100,000 for selling synthetic cannabis— called “spice” by some users. The store is in Longmont, and is called Tobacco King. The owner, Sang Leaming, was court ordered to pay this fine by Colorado Attorney General Kyle Harris. 

This was not the first time the store in question was accused of selling spice, as the store was raided in July of 2012 and over 1,000 packets of spice were taken at that time. This time, the store was brought down when a mom discovered that her son bought spice there, and then went in the store and bought some herself to turn in to authorities. 

Although Leaming had already been in trouble for this infraction in the past, he clearly continued his behavior and is now being persecuted. He faces four years’ probation, and the store has to make monthly payments until the total $100,000 is finally paid off. 

Although this is the biggest bust on spice in the country, Colorado clearly plans to set a precedent against the substance. According to Westword, the Attorney General made a statement that “Spice is a dangerous, volatile drug that is illegal despite the claims of many store owners that it is not. My office will continue working with our law enforcement partners and the retail industry to remove spice from store shelves and prosecute peddlers of these products.”

In the past, when it was legal, spice was used as a sort of cannabis substitute for those who couldn’t smoke due to drug testing, but it was then discovered that the substance was dangerous and unpredictable in the way that early detractors accused cannabis in the 1920s. Unfortunately, this suspicion has proven to be true, as it really has been known to cause seizures and other medical conditions. All in all, a simply way to conclude the uselessness of a cannabis alternative.