South Lake Tahoe Outlaws Bath Salts and Spice

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then... well, the answer is clear.
That's basically what the South Lake Tahoe City Council decided when it outlawed heretofore legal substances known on the street as "spice" and "bath salts," which are basically synthetic drugs intended to mimic the effects — and some of the side effects — of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
The new city ordinance, passed in March and effective April 20, makes the sale, distribution, manufacture or possession of such drugs an infraction or misdemeanor and imposes fines of up to $1,000 a day. The state already banned the sale of bath salts and spice, beginning January 1. Other states and municipalities have passed laws restricting or prohibiting the drugs.

The availability and use of these drugs has been running rampant in the community, South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Rebecca Inman told the council last month, since they have been an over-the-counter, legal alternative to illegal substances and are therefore sometimes seen as less harmful. But they're not, said Inman. These drugs are addictive and can cause paranoia, heart palpitations, hallucinations, seizures, kidney failure and even death in extreme cases.
Officials at South Tahoe High School encounter the use or possession of such drugs nearly every day, Inman said. The packaging of bath salts and spice usually reads "not for human consumption," which merely provides a cover for the manufacturer.
Paul Hale, owner of the Buttermuffin smoke shop, said he gets multiple inquiries every day from both suppliers and consumers. "I'm all for outlawing that stuff. It's poison, it's unregulated, you never know what you're getting. . . . It's like smoking carpet insulation."
Many of those seeking these products are probationers, some with addiction issues already, said Hale, who end up "begging" for the drugs. These customers often particularly want spice or bath salts because they don't show up on standard drug tests.
Actually, asserted Hale, real marijuana is much more mild than the synthetic kind and should be legalized, so people don't resort to the more harmful copies.
Whether it's real marijuana or the fake kind, Councilmember Angela Swanson expressed skepticism about whether offenders would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, saying the District Attorney's office has not vigorously prosecuted what could be seen as minor drug offenses.
Inman said the law would give authorities a tool to counter the impact of such drugs in the community, allowing them to take action of some sort — arrest or confiscation, perhaps. Currently, said Inman, "we're powerless," when encountering the drug. "There's nothing we can do at all."
Businesses within the City that continue to sell and distribute spice and bath salts will be prosecuted under the city ordinance, said Tracy Franklin, outreach coordinator for the City. Future South Lake Tahoe Police enforcement operations are planned to ensure businesses comply with this new ordinance, and other state laws for the sales of these drugs and/or alcohol to minors.