Police warning parents about incense

Two types raises concerns; some children reportedly smoking incense to get high

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Monday, December 15, 2008 8:34 AM CST

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Who would think that common incense would be harmful to humans?

That is what Slidell police are saying about two forms of incense called Spice Gold and Yucatan Fire. Slidell Police Chief Freddie Drennan has received several calls from concerned parents who have found their children are actually smoking the two types of incense to get high.

Drennan started an investigation and discovered via the Internet there is a Web site where the two brands are sold, and they are not cheap. According to the Web site they both sell for about $18 a gram and are sold in 3 gram amounts.

Police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said there is one store in Slidell that sells Spice Gold and Yucatan Fire. While he would not give the name of the store, Foltz said the shop’s owners told him they were sold out of both incenses and didn’t know when they would get another shipment.

In fact, on the Web site, Yucatan Fire is out of stock, but the seller promises more within a week.

Though it did not give the ingredients of Yucatan Fire, the Web site said the incense has a “unique and uplifting aroma and is blended by an experienced herbal shaman.”

Spice Gold is described on the Web site as providing an “uplifting feeling — stimulating yet soothing —surprisingly effective.”

The ingredients of Spice Gold are listed on the site as Baybean, blue lotus, lion’s tail, lousewort, Indian warrior, dwarf scullcap, maconha brava, pink lotus, marshmallow, red clover, rose, Siberian motherwort, vanilla and honey.

The Web site has a disclaimer that it will not sell these two products to anyone under the age of 18. In fact, to enter the site, a user must click on a link saying they are over 18 years of age. Foltz said the local shop clerks told him they will only sell Spice Gold and Yucatan Fire to people over 18 who have the proper identification.

The packaging of Spice Gold is gold in color with a picture of a black eye. Yucatan Fire packaging is bright red with a green leaf design.

Drennan said there are no laws against selling the incense at this time, but said he is looking into legal solutions.

“I will check with lawmakers about putting legislation through about making them illegal, if possible,” Drennan said.

The Web site has a phone number located in Florida.

St. Tammany News called the number, but the person who answered the phone would not identify himself and refused to answer any questions.

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Comments

32 comment(s)

tiffany wrote on Apr 26, 2011 4:36 PM:

" i have been smoking the herbal insence such as black rooster, posh k2,buddha,and black mambo for almost a yaer now hasnt been in my town long and now i cant buy it anywhere have to go online to get and its crazy its never hurt me ive never felt sick just always good and real relaxwd its sad that they are taking such a good thing way just because the goverment isnt getting what they wanyt out os the sell of it. ive smoked weeed for many years till this and i liked it better.they should just leave it ALONE!!! "

Anon wrote on Jan 24, 2011 12:55 PM:

" Look, I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized as no one has yet died of smoking the herb, if consumed with blunts. It is natural and so I conclude that it is good. Legalize it, control it and the government will be having tea with drugs, instead of war. I believe in liberty so if the government doesn't make the smart move and legalize it, then I wouldn't mess with this spice. LEGALIZE IT! "

Roque wrote on Jan 14, 2011 11:39 PM:

" This only exist cause marijuana is illegal. I prefer marijuana atleast we know what we are smoking isn't synthesized like this stuff! Medical marijuana is the way to go. "

CM wrote on Jan 14, 2011 12:03 AM:

" I am a 40 year old female who has smoked marijuana since i was a teenager. Recently a friend turned me on to "demon". I became very ill, had chest pains and my blood pressure went beyond stroke and heart attack level which has never happened before. I realize it may not affect everyone like this but I thought i was going to die. My friend also became very ill. I understand people use this because it is legal and doesnt show up on a drug test. I reccomend sticking the real natural stuff if you choose to get high. "

WARNING wrote on Dec 26, 2010 7:49 PM:

" Smoking herbal incence can give you seizures or convultions and can lead to death. This is a dangerous product. DO NOT SMOKE. I almost lost a brother from this product. "

nana wrote on Dec 17, 2010 2:18 PM:

" How long does it take to get it out of your system? "

Paul wrote on Oct 23, 2010 8:53 AM:

" The thing I find wrong with this is that our goverment could solve our deficet problem by stopping the war on pot and pot somkers. If they made it legal, it would put most of the drug dealers out of business. It was legal upto 60 years ago. they banned acohol but made it legal again because of lack of control efforts. they will never stop anyone from wanting it, just drive us more towards smoking something or finding other ways to relax other than what they provide. but instead they think they mold us into what they want. "

Sheri wrote on Oct 2, 2010 8:36 PM:

" I buy demon incense online for $34.99.

herbalaxation.com "

Liisaa wrote on Jun 14, 2010 9:41 PM:

" How bout these pigs worry about trying to fix this dang oil spill and protect our gulf instead of worrying about wat im smoking!!!! "

kyle wrote on Jun 10, 2010 9:32 AM:

" seriously if they make this illegal that's ridiculous. might as well make paint & glue illegal too. it's marketed as an incense! with all the warnings! i make my own using JWH from mountainindustry.com it's the purest and most potent i've found. Plus I found a coupon code somewhere online...L27MHJ1. what i do with products is my own business and shouldnt be regulated. "

tootyfroot wrote on May 5, 2010 11:26 AM:

" My nephew was found dead April 16. Alcohol addiction. He was 37 years old and had alcoholic cirrhosis. I have two brothers that are chronic marijuana smokers. They are 55 and 58 and still alive and functioning. What's wrong with this picture? Wake up America! "

a worried sis wrote on May 3, 2010 5:06 PM:

" My sister is 15 & has been normal her entire life. After smoking this she is paranoid all the time. She is frequently having panic attacks. Doc did eeg & said it looks like she would have sniffed paint or glue. I'm most certain this smoking is the first of any drug she has ever done. She is now visiting a nuerogist. This may affect her forever & the docs & my family believe its from smoking this harmful herb substance. I pray ppl realize before they to are affected negatively forever. :( "

anon wrote on Apr 30, 2010 1:43 AM:

" Am i the only person that has noticed that anything that makes you happy is illegal... the fun fact behind that is because its a lot easier to control someone that is depressed. look at all these depression medications out there that have class action law suits against them because the drugs actually CAUSE depression and suicide. yet the drug that has never caused a death in human history be it overdose or any other way is illegal. smokers are thinkers and if there is one thing the government hates its someone who can think for themselves... "

matt wrote on Apr 23, 2010 1:59 PM:

" This should be legal i have tried this myself and many people use incense as an alternative to marijuana and you can also pass a drug test because it doesn't have THC in it if they make smoking incense illegal i have no faith left in humanity incense is what the Indians used many years ago and they lived to be old and they developed many different things there is no harm in smoking this! "

skillet wrote on Apr 17, 2010 9:17 PM:

" I have been burning these incense for 3 years while I was to lucky enuff to be in a gov program called drugcourt it kept me out of trouble as it does now I am s 2 time former offender one more felony I'm gone for good and now they gonna make me go underground to enjoy my incense I'm 32 old enough to do what I want to do they should worry about the important stuff like the invasion of our country happening from the invisable borders "

Chuck wrote on Mar 19, 2010 5:52 AM:

" Apparently some people's visions can be blurry. It's human nature to indulge in mind altering substances. Some people have to get over a control factor here. alcohol is legal and I've never seen anyone get crazier off a drug in my life. Alcohol is also a drug widely used by law enforcement individuals.I know this because of being a bar tender for years while working my way through college. I've also never seen a violent person on marijuana or a substitute. A lot of People have a misconception about these things and need to do more research. "

Deb Cava wrote on Mar 8, 2010 2:51 PM:

" Does anyone appreciate life as it is anymore? Why do you need an instant mood altering substance to make you happy or feel good? When it was said that mankind would be it's own demise, I believe it. Abusing things that are legal, (too late to fix that) and then smoking things, with no idea what the long term effects are. How crazy people have become!! Good Bye to mankind as we know it, the future of our children is looking grim. Just call me a visionist. "

nunya wrote on Mar 4, 2010 8:20 PM:

" if they are really thinking about making this illegal they should consider making alchohol illegal! that hurts people alot more than this stuff "

jeanne wrote on Jan 31, 2010 5:46 PM:

" i smoked it with my friend, afterwe were finished, i looked at her and smiled:). for some reason words couldnt come out my mouth! all i could do was sit and stair at her. then the laughs came. we felt goood. we were tingling. it was a different high. i give it two thumbs up!!! "

britnei wrote on Jan 31, 2010 5:42 PM:

" I have been smoking the stuff for quite some time. It has not harmed me or made me fail a drug test. In fact, I find it very relaxing. I do not see any reason why it should not be legal. i would much rather my daughter smoking this stuff insead of weed or doing other drugs. wheather it is legal or not people are just going to continue to smoke it,including myself. "

VIVIANA wrote on Jan 29, 2010 6:44 AM:

" I'm a mother and 2 days I found out that my son is smoking "Voodoo Magic" and "Demon". Scares me to dead that my son is doing it. This needs to stop. Why people is selling this??? just to make money??? I don't want to find my son dead one day. "

rob wrote on Jan 20, 2010 2:08 PM:

" If you are over the age of 18, you should beable to smoke any thing you want, PERIOD!!!! as long as I am not hurting anyone else,e.g. stealing, robbing, or killing other people, LEAVE ME ALONE "

Cajun Biker wrote on Jan 13, 2010 8:42 PM:

" Why can't the government just leave people alone. Why is it ok to consume alcohol, a deadly drug that kills 1000's a year, and its ok to consume cigarettes, a devistating killer... If it gets you high, ban it right? Well ban the spirits, and cigarettes too... Oh, I forgot... Too many taxes collected on those... My bad! Leave the kids alone! "

Dennis wrote on Nov 13, 2009 5:24 PM:

" Everything that the police dont like or understand, they do their best to make it illegal. Honestly, people should have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else. "

saundra wright wrote on Oct 8, 2009 7:09 PM:

" police just leave people alone! "

James wrote on Aug 26, 2009 6:27 PM:

" People die each and everyday from alcohol, I was able to join the military at the age of 17 years old, but could'nt purchase a drink until the age of 21. If kids want to get "high" they're going to do it whether proper parenting takes place or not. Marijuana and simlar products are illegal and are considered a gateway drug which makes kids think if this "drug" is ok maybe others are as well. Marijuana is as bad for you as any cigarette product out there if it is legal why isnt weed. GET OVER IT "

Rick James wrote on Dec 19, 2008 11:58 AM:

" Spice is sold as a legal herb-based alternative to cannabis. Though the ingredients list does not identify any cannabinoid constituents, it very likely contains a synthetic cannabinoid because it is unlikely that the listed plant ingredients would produce its reported effects. On Dec 15, 2008, the city of Frankfurt, Germany, announced the results of analysis they sponsored and reported that the Spice product they tested contained JWH-018. A synthetic cannibinoid more potent than THC "

Anon wrote on Dec 17, 2008 12:36 PM:

" I agree with everyone else too. I think that maybe they should start doing tests on spice to see if it really is harmful. I think its really crazy to have alcohol legal and it causes deaths everyday from someone drinking be driving and people not knowing how to stop drinking and it causes liver problems. So why are things that cause you to die legal but weed that is now used as a medicine illegal? I'm not sure the government makes much sense "

R. SIDE wrote on Dec 17, 2008 10:54 AM:

" We don't know what the effects of smoking incense are. It could be as harmful as sniffing paint, or gas, we don't know. What if it causes birth defects, or serious brain disorders. The correct solution to this problem it for our government to develop a method to determine the level of intoxication of marijuana so we can ticket high drivers, then legalize pot, tax it high, and use the tax dollars to subsidize our schools, fuel, and the so called war on drugs. "

bob wrote on Dec 17, 2008 4:47 AM:

" When is the lawmakers/public going to realize making all things illegal is not the solution to every problem. These are incense & are "not intended for human consumption..

This is just another way for the parents to avoid any real parental responsibility.

If the kids were not 18 years of age they or their parents should be eld responisible not the rest of the public, Im sure they are not gunning to outlaw alcohol even though across the United States 100 youths were caught drinking beer/liquor last friday night ??? "

someone else wrote on Dec 16, 2008 5:25 PM:

" First line says it is harmful to humans.......who ever said it was harmful? Its just a bunch of herbs. It is less harmful than cigarette tobacco, which is legal to people 18 and older. You have to be at least 18 to buy this stuff....so I dont see a difference. "

Anon wrote on Dec 16, 2008 2:44 PM:

" Ok so isn't the reason they don't legalize weed because they can't tax it? Well here is something you can tax and get a good bit of money from. This is just like any other legal drug such as alcohol or tabacco. Why try to make it illegal why not just raise the age for buying it and enforce the age limit i think that sounds like a better idea. I don't smoke the stuff but this just sounds crazy to try to and ban something that hasn't done any harm "

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