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redeyesmj
werdo



Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 4,117
Loc: Middle of kansas
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Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid
#13983548 - 02/18/11 09:02 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Published: 2/17/2011 10:35 PM | Last update: 2/17/2011 11:55 PM
http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/SJ--The-Grind--1
(Chris Hunter/Special to The News) Eric Srack, owner of The Grind, is led away in handcuffs Thursday morning after a raid on the establishment.
Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid By Erin Mathews - Special to The News
SALINA - The Grind's supply of "herbal potpourri" was seized Thursday morning as part of an ongoing federal investigation of the business and the owner of the business was arrested.
Lt. Jim Norton, commander of the I-135/I-70 Drug Task Force, said three federal Food and Drug Administration search warrants were executed at two buildings owned by the business. He said he didn't know how long it would be before the business was again in operation. "If he wants to sell coffee, I suppose he can," Norton said. "That's about the only thing that's going to be in there."
Jim Cross, of Topeka, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney in the District of Kansas, said the search warrants were issued as part of the federal investigation. He would not give further details.
Cross said no charges have been filed in federal courts in Kansas and no arrests have been made by federal agents in connection with the warrants.
However, Grind owner Eric Srack, 42, was arrested on three counts of distribution of a controlled substance - a violation of state law. According to a statement issued by the Salina Police Department, Srack is accused of selling, on Dec. 22, three packets of "herbal potpourri" that were treated with a synthetic compound that is illegal in Kansas.
Srack was being held Thursday evening in the Saline County Jail.
Salina Police Capt. Mike Sweeney said distribution of the compound, JWH-081, a synthetic form of the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol in marijuana, would be a felony offense.
Officers from the drug task force and the Salina Police Department's Special Response Team assisted federal agents in searching The Grind's drive-through at 301 W. Ash and an alleged potpourri manufacturing site at 701 Bishop.
Police officers guarding the front of the Ash Street business were turning away people who approached after the raid began about 10:20 a.m., and the business remained closed later Thursday.
This is dangerous stuff
Among spectators watching police during the early stages of the raid was Salinan Matt Matthews, who gave officers a "thumbs up" gesture.
"This drug that these people are selling is one of the most dangerous things I've seen, and I'm 64 years old," Matthews said. "They know that this stuff is dangerous, but they don't give a damn about the harm it's doing to people. All they care about is the dollar."
On Dec. 21, Elijah Taylor, a 21-year-old University of Kansas student from Solomon, was struck by a car when he ran in front of traffic on Interstate 135. He died the next day. A friend who was with Taylor said he had smoked potpourri and consumed bath salts earlier in the evening.
Police said that at the time of his death, Taylor had in his possession a packet of bath salts that had been purchased from The Grind.
Srack's arrest stems from three packets of potpourri, which allegedly tested positive for an illegal chemical compound, that law enforcement allegedly acquired from The Grind the day Taylor died.
'Truly safe alternative'
The Grind's website advertises five blends of potpourri produced locally under the brand name "Underground." The blends have names such as Midnight Moon, Bubble Gum Fun and Indulgence Ultra and flavors like butterscotch, English toffee and watermelon.
The website says the potpourris are blended from 16 types of medical herbs and describes them as "a truly safe alternative."
"I am the ONLY man alive with my recipe," the website states. "I have raised the bar, set the standard and have completely destroyed the competition in my quest to have the very best quality product of its kind."
Unprecedented threat
When testifying before a legislative committee in January, Salina Police Chief Jim Hill said use of "herbal potpourri" and another designer drug called "bath salts" has resulted in an unprecedented threat to public health and safety in Salina.
Hill testified before the Kansas House of Representatives' Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee seeking legislation to outlaw seven classes of chemicals known to be used in mind-altering drugs that are being applied to dried plant material and sold as potpourri.
If passed, the legislation would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, distribute or possess whole classes of chemicals, taking a broader approach than previous legislation. The bill has been passed by the House and introduced in the Senate.
Law enforcement and medical personnel have seen people with symptoms including difficulty breathing, seizures, loss of consciousness, elevated heart rates and severe hallucinations brought about by smoking the substances, which they say are extremely addictive.
500 times stronger
than pot
Kansas was the first state to enact legislation to ban the chemical compound, JWH-081, and two other specific chemical compounds used in early versions of synthetic marijuana. Srack is accused of selling JWH-081 after it was banned.
In addition, police say Srack and other manufacturers of herbal potpourri began using similar compounds that were not yet illegal and continued to sell them locally and over the Internet. Law enforcement officers said some of the new combinations of drugs being used are as much as 500 times stronger than marijuana but are not illegal to sell under current state law.
-------------------- Where am I at?
[/url]  “To be godless is probably the first step to innocence," he said, "to lose the sense of sin and subordination, the false grief for things supposed to be lost." So by innocence you mean not an absence of experience, but an absence of illusions." An absence of need for illusions," he said. "A love of and respect for what is right before your eyes.”― Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat
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CidneyIndole
www.shroomery.OG



Registered: 05/16/05
Posts: 4,761
Loc: Love's Secret Domain
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: redeyesmj]
#13984188 - 02/18/11 11:44 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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This makes me fucking sick.
I wonder exactly which law they're throwing at this poor bastard.
-------------------- ------------------------ I am me. We are You.
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redeyesmj
werdo



Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 4,117
Loc: Middle of kansas
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: CidneyIndole]
#13984293 - 02/18/11 12:03 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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It doesnt have to make since this is kansas!!! Look at what they did to bouncing bear
-------------------- Where am I at?
[/url]  “To be godless is probably the first step to innocence," he said, "to lose the sense of sin and subordination, the false grief for things supposed to be lost." So by innocence you mean not an absence of experience, but an absence of illusions." An absence of need for illusions," he said. "A love of and respect for what is right before your eyes.”― Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat
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jacobensis
captain


Registered: 01/15/11
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Loc: comunist/socialist/ usa
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: redeyesmj]
#13984353 - 02/18/11 12:16 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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in other words any compound that makes you feal a like life is worth living, they want it banned. these jack offs cant stand to addmit if they would leglise marijuana we wouldn't have these so called dangerous look alike drugs. the reason we have look alike drugs is because the real harmless one is illeagle- dumb fucks!
-------------------- There are 2 types of people, mycophobes and mycophiles R.Wasson
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PilzeEssen


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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: jacobensis]
#13984388 - 02/18/11 12:22 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Is this in kansas or what? Sorry if its obvious in the article. I skimmed it on my phone
-------------------- "The soul has greater need of the ideal than of the real. It is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live." If you want to get a hold of me, my email address is in my profile. Just click on my screen name. I got banned from using private messages cause I didn't follow the rules...
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Adler
Stranger
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: PilzeEssen]
#13984480 - 02/18/11 12:38 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Since when is JWH-081 illegal? I assume they mean JWH-018.
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Shamrocker
mst3k



Registered: 02/17/11
Posts: 385
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: Adler]
#13985296 - 02/18/11 03:15 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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To be fair to the arresting officers .... potpourri does contain the word pot
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dwtk
it all rolls into one


Registered: 02/24/07
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: Shamrocker]
#13989574 - 02/19/11 11:40 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
"This drug that these people are selling is one of the most dangerous things I've seen, and I'm 64 years old," Matthews said.
uhhhh no.
and wtf.. JWH is 500 times more powerful than THC? this article is bogus
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Rabid Jelly Bean
Stranger



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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: PilzeEssen]
#13992748 - 02/19/11 10:17 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
PilzeEssen said: Is this in kansas or what? Sorry if its obvious in the article. I skimmed it on my phone
Lol yes it is in Kansas. They rank at the top when it comes to drug scare propaganda.
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four20west
Pot smoker



Registered: 09/28/10
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Loc: Washington state
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: Rabid Jelly Bean]
#13997469 - 02/20/11 07:35 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Wow this reminds me of something....


-------------------- How can you tell me what I can and can't put into my own body.
Edited by four20west (02/20/11 07:36 PM)
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blujay
pass it b*ch!



Registered: 04/01/09
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Re: Officers seize 'potpourri' in business raid [Re: CidneyIndole]
#13998743 - 02/20/11 10:57 PM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
CidneyIndole said: This makes me fucking sick.
I wonder exactly which law they're throwing at this poor bastard.
Sigh, honestly it's a good thing because who knows what potential physiological harms these RC's are capable of in long term use. But the other half of it being a good thing is because these fuckwits in Kansas are outright mentally handicapped about everything except Jesus, so we can't have it around- we're too stupid for a word like "moderation" apparently.
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  wat man rly
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