Bag of “Zero Gravity”
Lubbock District Attorney Matt Powell warned Lubbock smoke shops with a letter, and on June 12, search warrants were issued and four smoke shops were raided in an effort to rid the city of synthetic marijuana usage.
On June 10 Powell said he sent a letter out to 53 area-wide smoke shops warning retailers about the continued sale of synthetic marijuana.
“What I am here to say is we know who you are,” Powell said during the Tuesday morning press conference.
The letter, which has been circulating around various media sites, lists specific names of products and side effects that may accompany the consumption of any similar substance.
The letter then goes on to address penalties that distributors and manufacturers may incur if caught not abiding by state and federal laws concerning labeling requirements.
“I hope they just take it off their shelves,” said Powell.
While he has had some stores voluntarily remove these products from their shelves, he said it is still a problem that exists.
Lubbock Mayor Pro Tem Karen Gibson said this is an ongoing battle which she is committed to.
She said a breakthrough developed when the city attorney presented her with information regarding a state statute covering product labeling.
The letter shows the sale of synthetic marijuana and similar products is prohibited by Texas Penal Code 32.42 as a deceptive business practice.
“I said from the start,” Gibson said, “I am not giving up on this.”
She said once this statute was found, they presented it to the district attorney’s office and that is when the DA took over.
She credits Chad Weaver and John Grace for their research in helping her discover the statute.
“I don’t know how LPD will play a role in this,” Gibson said. “That is going to be up to the district attorney and his investigators as to how they will work with LPD.”
The following Thursday, Todd Smith, the district attorney’s chief investigator, said a lot of what was seized came from one store.
One of the stores on the investigation list was Smokin J’s near 50th and Quaker.
In a past interview with The Hub, Smokin J’s owner Ed Krahmer said he was meeting the demands of his customers. At the time of the interview, a Smokin J’s employee was weighing out synthetic marijuana and placing it in small plastic bags as Krahmer stood in his office with a large box filled with the substance at his feet.
Read article: Lubbock Police Not Enforcing Synthetic Marijuana Ban
While Smith did not have a dollar value, he said the raids produced four large plastic containers, each packed with the dangerous product.
In addition to the seizures, Smith said every owner of each facility had a case filed against them.
He said there may be more of these product-seizing raids in the future as they intend on using every legal tactic.
“If they continue, then we will continue to do what we said we were going to do,” said Smith.
During his press conference, Powell said he and his investigators will be watching over smoke shops, assuring they are following the letter of the law.
They day before the raid, Powell expressed his opinion about the continued sale of synthetic marijuana.
“I don’t think they want to butt heads with us,” he said.
About Lucinda Holt
