L.A. City Council requests an ordinance to ban ‘spice’

Motion targets synthetic drug that may be linked to dozens of overdoses.

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved an emergency motion directing the city attorney’s office to draft an ordinance that would ban the manufacture and sale of a synthetic drug that may be linked to dozens of overdoses in downtown’s skid row.

The motion, submitted by council members Mitchell Englander and Jose Huizar, asks the city attorney to work with police and fire officials to write the ordinance and to work on strategies to crack down on manufacturers and dealers of the synthetic drug “spice.”

Those who make the drug “are taking advantage of those most vulnerable in society,” Englander said. “It’s wreaking havoc in our communities.”

In the last week, more than 50 people on skid row have been hospitalized, many suspected of ingesting the drug.

LAPD Capt. Don Graham described the scene as “chaos” last week when dozens of people collapsed on skid row and had to be taken to hospitals.

Graham said 85% of the arrests for dealing spice have been near 5th and San Pedro streets, where the overdoses occurred.

“The insidiousness of this drug is the price point — $1 for two joints for an average high of six hours,” Graham said.

San Diego leaders recently enacted an ordinance banning the sale and manufacture of synthetic drugs such as spice. The San Diego ordinance focuses more on the intoxicating effects than the chemical compounds that make up the drug, which can change on a weekly basis, officials said.

In the last week, L.A. officials have been warning people about the drug, which can produce effects similar to those of marijuana but is actually a different plant material sprayed with a psychoactive chemical. Health experts say smoking spice is risky because it’s impossible to know what’s in each batch of the drug.

Spice, or K2, has been available on skid row for years, with several people on San Pedro Street peddling it every day, advocates say. Spice joints go for a dollar or less, making them an appealing fix for addicts — and a challenge for those trying to tamp down sales.

Community groups began handing out fliers on skid row this week, warning of the dangers of spice. Health officials also alerted doctors to watch out for patients with extreme anxiety, vomiting or other possible effects of the drug.

In April, 15 people in skid row were hospitalized after consuming the drug. LAPD officials said most of the victims simply collapsed on sidewalks, though none died.

Patrick T. Fallon For The Times A MAN who fell ill on downtown Los Angeles’ skid row is taken to a hospital by Fire Department paramedics and LAPD officers. Since last week, more than 50 people on skid row have been hospitalized, many suspected of ingesting the synthetic drug known...

Luis Sinco Los Angeles Times FIRE DEPARTMENT personnel assist a woman believed to be feeling the effects of spice. Experts say it’s hard to tell what’s in each batch of the cannabinoid.