By JILL MCNEAL
6 News Anchor/Reporter
MORRISTOWN (WATE) - Morristown police are cracking down on synthetic marijuana. This past weekend two people, including a 15-year-old boy, got sick smoking the synthetic weed.
Officers cited two convenience store owners for selling the drug, marketed as Mr. Smiley incense: Abdul Kader, 44, who owns the Stop-N-Go market on Buffalo Trail and Mayur Shah, 48, who owns West Side Tobacco on West Andrew Johnson Highway. Morristown police said tips came in from concerned parents.
"When I tried it, it put me in the hospital and I didn't like it no more," said Kayla Neeley, 16.
She and her brother Brandon, 17, said they have both tried the drug.
"It made me feel like my heart was racing, my face started turning white, I started puking," Brandon said.
The Neeleys said people try it for the high and it's easy to buy.
"Because weed's illegal and this is legal, basically," Brandon said.
But that's not true anymore. Tennessee laws are catching up with the trend. Most of the chemicals used in the drugs, sold as anything from incense to potpourri, have now been outlawed here. But there are so many brand names, the ingredients usually aren't listed, and new products are always popping up.
6 News spoke to Kader, the owner of the Stop-N-Go. He's from Bangladesh and told us the laws here are very different from the laws there. He said he didn't know what he was selling was illegal, but now that he does, he won't sell it again.
Babesh Patel, who owns the BP just down the street, said he doesn't sell the drug, but added that customers are always asking for it.
"Some people at some stores are selling. And they say, everybody's selling. Why aren't you selling? I said no, I don't want to sell," Patel said.
He's happy about the crackdown, saying it will level the playing field.
"To stop is very good because I am losing business when other people is selling. Because when other people is selling they go over there and buy other stuff too and I'm losing business," Patel said.
The Neeleys said they've learned their lesson.
"Kids my age shouldn't be smoking it. It puts kids in the hospital. You can die from it. It says on the side 'Not for human consumption,'" Kayla said.
"I think it needs to be taken off the shelves, completely taken off," Brandon said.
Morristown police said because selling synthetic marijuana is a misdemeanor, the store owners will probably only face a fine and probation.
But in the coming weeks, look for state lawmakers to strengthen the current laws. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said right now, it's too easy to go around legal definitions.
"What we've done in the past is define synthetic marijuana by its chemical compound and criminals are really smart. They change a little bit of their formula and it's no longer illegal. We're going to look at what other states are doing and attempt to define it by symptoms and not chemical compounds," he said.
Ramsey said new legislation could come during this session of the General Assembly.
Synthetic marijuana
