New drug worry in Phila.: synthetic marijuana

Federal agents are cracking down on imports of a synthetic marijuana that has started appearing in the Philadelphia area.

It is not illegal in any state to possess the substance, but Food and Drug Administration regulations bar its import and sale because it is not a tested and approved drug.

Eighty-five parcels arriving from Amsterdam at a UPS facility at Philadelphia International Airport were detained and then seized after tests proved positive for the drug, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The latest seizures were Tuesday after a CBP lab in Georgia confirmed that two parcels discovered Jan. 6 contained JWH-018, a synthetic cannabinoid. The seizures were a first for the agency's Philadelphia region.

The confiscated materials are small, silvery plastic bags of dried leaves labeled with the brand name K2 and marketed as incense that can be smoked. In all, Customs and Border Protection in Philadelphia said, it has seized about four pounds of the potpourri-like stuff.

"It's just random plant material, but they coat it with a chemical and then they dry it out," said Homeland Security spokesman Steve Sapp.

Spice, Gemini and Yucatan Fire are other brands being distributed, Sapp said.

"JWH-018 is a relatively new discovery for us," said Allan Martocci, CPB director of port oversight in Philadelphia. "If it indeed reacts similar to marijuana, then it poses some real concern for law enforcement, and it's good that CBP removed these products from our nation's marketplace."

Although the drug is not federally classified as a narcotic, it is listed as a drug and chemical of concern, illegal for sale without FDA approval, according to CBP. That violation was the basis for the seizure.

With a market value of up to $50 for three grams, the Philadelphia seizures of about 2 kilograms puts the street value of the haul at as much as $30,000, the agency estimated. The parcels weighed from four to 92 grams.

Kansas and Missouri are considering outlawing synthetic marijuana.