Trendy spice drug hits Indiana streets

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A 16-year-old Center Grove boy is recovering from a seizure after Johnson County authorities say he smoked a very dangerous drug.

It's called "Spice" and it's the hot, new drug of choice among teens nationwide. A quick look around the internet and you’ll find loads of information about Spice.

Parents, if you think your kids don't know anything about it, ask them. They probably know all about "Spice".

We started our research into the new popular drug by visiting the Indiana Poison Center. It turns out, Spice is a questionable, yet legal mix of herbs peppered with a powdered chemical called, JWH-018. It's no joke.

"There have been occasionally seizures reported with this. I think the one that we talked about is the first that we've had reported to us in Indiana and there are people who have reported hallucinations with it!" says Dr. Brent Furbee.

Dr. Furbee says the state has treated 38 cases so far this year. He says Spice, also sometimes called K2, gives a marijuana high, but its chemical makeup is more like LSD.

"It's a phenomenon that's new enough so we don't really have a good handle on it. Is it gonna last or is it gonna die out because some of these things do sort of die out!" he said
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Spice comes in various forms; you can often get it at tobacco shops and convenience stores like.
We stopped at one at Franklin and US 31 where we found a box called “Chill Spice.”

The box is clearly labeled “Not for human consumption.” In fact, it’s mainly marketed as incense.

Eight states have already banned Spice. Some teens think because it contains herbs, it's natural. We found some who've certainly heard of it.

"I've had two friends say they've had seizures from it!" said Stephanie Taylor. "And one of my friends actually was on her bedroom floor, turned on her ceiling fan and put a fan on each side of her face and called me and said she couldn't breathe. And everybody does it!” she said.

We're hearing about Spice cases all over the nation. By the way, it was recently banned down in Kentucky, but some argue Indiana cases will increase because it's easier to get here. Authorities say since Spice is legal, they can't do much right now other than inform the public. We'd like to thank our newsgathering partners the Daily Journal for their help with this story.

The Johnson County teen is expected to make a full recovery.