CARPENTERSVILLE - Nearly $8,000 worth of illegal synthetic drugs has been seized from two Carpentersville retailers as a part of a statewide crack down, according to authorities. Carpentersville police and Illinois attorney general investigators confiscated 448 packages of synthetic drugs Tuesday as a part of Operation Smoked Out, an initiative aimed at eliminating the sale of synthetic drugs at retail stores. Authorities seized 356 packages from Buddeez Smoke Shop, 3 N. Washington St., and 92 packages from Egors, 2 Wisconsin St., according to the Illinois attorney generals office. The drugs are worth approximately $6,936 and $994, respectively. Synthetic drug use has grown rapidly in Illinois, particularly among teens and young adults, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a news release. These store visits are part of our ongoing effort to spread awareness about the extreme danger these drugs pose and to send a message to community retailers that these illegal substances have no business being sold in their establishments. Sold under names such as K2 and Spice Gold, the smokeable herbal products laced with synthetic cannabinoids mimic the high of marijuana with more dangerous side effects, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The five chemicals used to make … Continue reading →

Drugs, homosexuality, alcohol in yearbook For the first time in Volusia County history, this year's "Athenian" takes a candid look at life at DeLand High School with a 12-page insert that talks about everything from homosexuality to tanning, showing pictures of students with tattoos and quotes from others talking about using drugs and alcohol. The principal and the yearbook advisor both signed off on the insert, calling it a student journalism project. A school district spokesperson said hopefully it sparks a conversation between parents and their kids, but some parents believe that's not up for the school to decide. "That might be reality, but it's not what we want to see and read," said Jennifer Lightfoot, who normally has a house full of teenagers. Like most parents, she was never told these controversial topics were being printed in the yearbook. "It's up to the parent what they're willing to discuss," said Lightfoot. "I don't think it should really be public discussion for others to have with my children." "A heads-up might have been a good thing," said Mike Graves, whose son will graduate Sunday. "That way, it wouldn't have been as shocking to some." And they're not alone. There's plenty … Continue reading →

Discarded wrapper from a packet of Spice, a popular synthetic cannabis mixture. Photo: Matto Fredriksson/Flickr The war on drugs has a new front, and so far it appears to be a losing one. Synthetic mimics of marijuana, dissociative drugs and stimulants such as the bath salts allegedly consumed by Randy Eugene, the Florida man shot after a horrific face-eating assault are growing in popularity and hard to control. Every time a compound is banned, overseas chemists synthesize a new version tweaked just enough to evade a laws letter. Its a giant game of chemical Whack-a-Mole. Manufacturers turn these things around so quickly. One week youll have a product with compound X, the next week its compound Y, said forensic toxicologist Kevin Shanks of AIT Laboratories, an Indiana-based chemical testing company. Its fascinating how fast it can occur, and its fascinating to see the minute changes in chemical structure theyll come up with. Its similar, but its different, Shanks continued. 'What does chemically similar really mean?' Active ingredients in the drugs are compounds originally synthesized by institutional researchers whose esoteric scientific publications were mined by as-yet-unidentified chemists and neuroscientists working in Asia, where most of the new drugs appear to come … Continue reading →