West Bloomfield Township leaders ban sale of K2 spice

K2 spice linked to murders, teen overdose in Oakland County, according to police

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – West Bloomfield has officially prohibited the sale of spice or K2 and bath salts.

Monday night the township voted to make the sale of spice worth 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Parents lined up to voice support for the ban and the new ban has the full support of the Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers.

The township worried about students obtaining the drug after school so they pushed ahead with an emergency ordinance that takes affect on Tuesday, instead of waiting on the state to take action.

"We will have officers on the streets informing anyone that's carrying this material that it's no longer legal and they have to remove it immediately," said West Bloomfield Trustee Dr. Howard Rosenberg.

K2 is sold in gas stations and party store across the Metro Detroit area and is labeled as herbal incense but teens often refer to it as K2, spice or synthetic marijuana.

"There was an urgency you just couldn't deny. It was all over the news—three deaths," said West Bloomfield Clerk Cathy Shaughnessy.

A Bloomfield Township teen died this past weekend from an overdose of spice. Moreover, it's linked to murders in Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield Township.

More: Hoffman, Cipriano connected through 'K2 crew' in Oakland County

More: Parents push to get K2 out of stores

"Clearly the reports we've been getting from health professionals and hospitals and from police departments indicate that we're in a serious, serious health crisis," said Dr. Howard Rosenberg, a West Bloomfield Township trustee. "Not only health but for public safety."


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