Sunrise First In Broward Set To Ban Synthetic Pot
SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – Sunrise may become the first city in Broward to outlaw the deadly herbal incense meant to give its users a high but instead could land them six feet under.
On Tuesday night, city commissioners are expected to approve a ban on synthetic marijuana, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Known on the street under a plethora of names, like "Spice" and "Mr. Nice Guy," the fake pot has reportedly sent some of those who smoked it to the hospital. Some have even ended up at the morgue.
Side effects from smoking the drug range from rapid heart and hallucinations to seizures and renal failure,
The first city in Florida to successfully ban the synthetic marijuana was Sweetwater in May.
Pompano Beach is expected to take an initial vote on banning the substance on Tuesday and Deerfield Beach will take their final vote on a ban on June 19th. Other cities considering bans include Davie, Ft. Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines and Tamarac.
"Until the state steps in, the cities have no choice but to take action. We have to do something because it's the right thing to do," Tamarac Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco told the paper.
Sunrise also plans to make it illegal to manufacture fake pot and to sell bath salts, the synthetic drug police officials suspect that Rudy Eugene, the man dubbed the Causeway Cannibal may have taken before attacking a homeless man on the MacArthur Causeway over the Memorial Day weekend.
Florida is one out of nine states that are in the process of outlawing the chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana.
The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.
