Forsyth County Sheriff's deputies this week conducted their second major sweep of synthetic marijuana distributors in less than a month, raiding three businesses known to sell the recently outlawed substance.
Those same establishments — the Puff and Stuff, King John and Heads Off smoke shops — were raided during the initial sweep by undercover narcotics investigators. The latest operation netted 1,738 bags of synthetic marijuana, also known as spice and K2.
Law enforcement agencies across the state have conducted similar raids since the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy approved an emergency rule banning the substance, which was blamed in the March drowning death of a popular Fayette County teen.
The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill outlawing the drug — plant material sprayed with chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana — following Chase Burnett's death. But manufacturers were able to skirt the new law by altering the molecular structure of the substance, prompting the pharmacy board's directive in mid-June.
Forsyth Sheriff Ted Paxton vowed to "remain diligent" monitoring distributors.
"We are going to keep going back to these businesses to ensure they are following the law," he said.
No arrests were made, as the directive allows only for seizures of the substance.
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