Smoke Shops in Oceanside, PB Fined Thousands for Selling Spice

SAN DIEGO, CA: Smoke shops in Oceanside and Pacific Beach have agreed to pay fines for allegedly selling spice, a synthetic drug that is banned in California.

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced Tuesday that settlements were reached in separate consumer protection cases against Outer Limits in Oceanside and Smoke Zone in Pacific Beach. Each agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting the sale of Spice and also agreed to pay civil penalties — Outer Limits will pay $33,750 and Smoke Zone will pay $24,600 — with stipulations of the settlements spelled out in judgments entered in San Diego Superior Court, according to a news release from Dumanis' office.

Although the sale of spice has been illegal in California since 2012, the DA's office says the drug is illicitly manufactured and distributed by networks that supply smoke shops, convenience stores and other retailers, where the substance is billed as “legal pot.” Made with chemicals imported from China and mixed with acetone, it’s sprayed on plant material so that the end product looks like marijuana.

Some of the brand names under which spice is sold include Mr. Nice Guy, California Dreams, Scooby Snax, Green Buddha, 24K and Nuclear Bomb.

“This designer drug has been shown to be dangerous, and in some cases, deadly,” Dumanis said. “Our Consumer Protection Unit has been warning stores not to sell these illegal substances. Through civil actions, we’re working to protect the public by holding retailers accountable when they ignore the law.”

People who have ingested spice have been taken to Poison Control Centers with symptoms that include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion and hallucinations, according to the DA's office. Spice can also raise blood pressure and cause reduced blood supply to the heart. Last winter, several local news organizations reported 13 people falling ill after smoking spice in downtown San Diego.

The DA's office has also filed a civil complaint against Inner World, another smoke shop in Oceanside allegedly found to be selling spice, and has obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent it from continuing to sell the illegal substance. The San Diego Superior Court will consider turning the restraining order into a preliminary injunction on May 27.

Since 2013, there have been nine enforcement actions against retailers in San Diego County, four of which have settled, resulting in injunctions and civil penalties totaling $136,028.

The current cases against Smoke Zone, Outer Limits and Inner World were handled by Deputy District Attorney Steve Spinella and Special Prosecutor Tom Papageorge.

Previously, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service conducted a series of undercover operations at the businesses.