‘Spice’ and bath salts, synthetic drug use on the rise in Monterey County

Sold in colorful packaging, “spice” and bath salts are becoming more popular with teens.

The synthetic cannabis products were banned three years ago from smoke shops and gas stations nationwide. But the ban hasn’t stopped the demand.

“At least once a week someone will pop in here, of the younger age, and still ask about spice,” said Michael Warrick, an employee at the Cigarette Store in Salinas.

Warrick said the storedidn’t sellspice or bath salts even when it was legal because the health risks are too high.

“It was just harming the kids and causing some kids to actually go into a coma,” said Warrick.

According to a new report, in 2011 about 11,000 people weresent tothe emergency room because of synthetic cannabis drugs. That number jumped to 50,000 in 2014.

“If you ask emergency room doctors at Natividad, CHOMP and all the way down to Mee Memorial, SVMH, they’ll tell you they’re seeing more and more kids come in overdosed on these drugs and the symptoms are psychosis,” said drug counselor Gordon Horne, whoworks at the Sun Street Center in Salinas.

He said in Monterey County over the last four years, 20 people were sent to psychiatric wards after taking spice or bath salts – mostly teens.

“They are under the impression that it’s kind of cool. Theirfriends are using it,” said Horne.

But the harmful, sometimes permanent effects are anything but cool.