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VIDEO: Hundreds Turn Out For K2 Protest; Gas Station Agrees to Stop Selling

During a rowdy protest Saturday, the Shelby Township Supervisor announced an ordinance that will be introduced to curb the sale of synthetic marijuana. Also, the Shelby Township Citgo Gas Station owner agreed to stop selling K2/Spice.

 
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Citgo Gas Station owner announces at rally that he will stop selling K2 and he will work with local community to ensure no other businesses in Shelby Township will sell the drug.
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Citgo Gas Station owner announces at rally that he will stop selling K2 and he will work with local community to ensure no other businesses in Shelby Township will sell the drug.

More than 200 people from across metro Detroit attended a K2/spice protest in front of the Citgo Gas Station and Woodstock Tobacco in Shelby Township Saturday afternoon.

Protesters ranged from family members whose children are addicted to synthetic marijuana and concerned residents who are urging local gas stations, smoke shops and party stores to stop selling the legal drug. In recent weeks, K2 rallies have been organized across the state in front of businesses that refuse to stop selling K2/spice. The most recent was in Dearborn. 

Organizer of the Shelby Township protest, Bill Miskokoman, choose to rally people at the Citgo Gas station because he said for more than a year, his son, a Utica High School student, has been purchasing K2 from the station.

Jennifer Smith, 31, of Sterling Heights told Patch that her 19-year-old brother has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and often purchased K2 and bath salts from Citgo before school.

"Together as a community if we come together and make our voices heard... Anything can be done," said Smith.

Smith's brother held a sign that said, "Please do not support drug dealers in disguise." He explained that one time, an employee at the Citgo Gas Station told his brother that he would take his iPod as collateral for K2 until he could return with cash.

Citgo Gas Station owner David Dabish had told Patch.com last week that he would not stop selling selling the substance until it's illegal. He is also part owner of Woodstock Tobacco, which is just a few hundred feet away from the station.

Derick Dabish, another part owner of the Citgo Gas Station, announced to the raucous crowd, who was shouting at patrons filling up on gas to boycot the station, that Citgo has ceased the sale of K2, spice and any other form of synthetic marijuana.

Dabish's announcement came a day after Citgo Corporate asked all stations to stop selling K2/spice.

Miskokoman, Dabish and a non-profit organization are working together to create an initive that will deter other businesses in Shelby from selling synthetic marijuana.

“The good thing about this program is it’s not government sponsored it’s two people who are coming together,” added Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis.  

There will be a meeting at 2 p.m. Monday at the Shelby Municipal Hall where more details on the initiative will be available.

Miskokoman told Patch he was happy Citgo Gas Station owners have agreed to cooperate and lead the charge on asking businesses to stop selling K2 and spice. However, Miskokoman said he is still has doubts of the business owners true intentions.

"I am not satisfied because they're still partners at Woodstock and they'll just send people there to get their spice," said Miskokoman.

Shelby Crafts K2 Ordianance

At the June 5 Board of Trustees meeting, the Shelby Township Board of Trustees will vote on an ordinace that prohibits the use, sale, purchase and distribution of synthetic chemicals including K2, spice and bath salts.

The ordinance states that businesses cannot sell similar products that produce a "marijuana-like high" to minors and must keep a log of people who purchase the products.

Penalties for selling synthetic chemicals include fines up to $500.

In Oakland County, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Sheriff Michael Bouchard on Friday urged retailers to pledge not to sell K2/Spice and other synthetic designer drugs. The county will issue a window decal to business owners who notify the county that they will not sell synthetic drugs.

Why K2 Is Not Illegal?

Under a law passed by the state legislature in September 2010, the possession or use of certain synthetic drugs was banned in Michigan. Earlier this year, there was also legislation introduced that would update Michigan's law so that the penalties for the sale and use of certain synthetic drugs would be similar to that for other Schedule 1 controlled substances.

However, manufacturers have been able to get around the law by simply changing the chemical makeup and the ingredients in the herbal mixtures and synthetic cannabinoids. Requiring a detailed analysis and report of these substances will be a useful tool in regulating the sale and use of these materials.

On Wednesday, Michigan state Rep. George Darany (D-Dearborn) introduced legislation aimed to combat the sale and use of synthetic marijuana in the state of Michigan.

The legislation–House Bill 5709–would require the Michigan Department of Community Health in cooperation with the State Police to analyze the content of the herbal mixtures and create a written report of its findings.

Related Topics: Citgo Gas Station, Dabish, K2, K2 protest, and Spice

Mark Mazurek

12:22 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

I participated in this rally today and am very proud and pleased with the result, it is a start. CITGO has had all of their gas stations discontinue the sale of these products. The smoke shop, Woodstock agreed to discontinue the sale of these incense products. This has to STOP I am now experiencing this substance abuse with my Son and I am loosing the battle. If you think for a moment this won't happen to you, you are wrong!!!! At age 18 he has become everything I raised him not to be. This drug is so powerful it just erased my 18 years or raising a responsible young man to nothing more than a lying thieving drug addict. The last of four children who are all in college this one may never graduate high school. One in nine children will try this drug and one in four will be addicted after trying just one time. This is an attack on our children and if we don't stop it as parents, communities, states, and nation we will lose this battle against this horrible drug and our children. I am very disappointed in our legislatures and community leaders that this has gone on as long as it has. I pray this will help save the children who never tried the drug, but what about all the children who are already addicted, now what???

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Sammy V.

9:21 am on Monday, June 4, 2012

Wait a sec.... the 500,000 children addicted to Spice is just the number of kids addicted after using the drug only once... There must be another million+ who became addicted after the fourth or fifth time using the drug... I have a really, really hard time believing these numbers.

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S. Vitello

9:21 am on Monday, June 4, 2012

1-in-4 become addicted after trying Spice just one time?!? Holy Cow! That means 1 out of every 36 students is flat out "addicted"!!! Which means nearly 3% of ALL STUDENTS are addicted to Spice. And given that there are roughly 20 million students in the USA, that means there are over 500,000 children "addicted" to K2 after trying the drug just once!?! How many kids become addicted after the 2nd time? 3rd time? There must be millions of K2 addicts according to my math and your claim that 1 out of 4 kids become addicted to K2 after one try.

I have a hard time believing these numbers.

IF half-a-million kids are addicted to Spice, then Spice is not nearly as bad as it is made out to be. Otherwise Rehab centers and morgues would be overflowing with messed up kids.

Spice is bad, but living in a future America where things are outlawed because of their potential to get kids high is worse.

Don't get me wrong though, I completely support your right to organize protests and do what you think is right to protect children. I simply dread the fallout of what you might accomplish. Hello, Orwell.

Dave

12:22 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

You all should call it by it's real name salvia ... it sounds much better than calling it sythethic marijuana. which it isn't even close to. We have hemp for that.. and its almost exactly like cannabis that you smoke except without the THC. It is basically harmless to smoke. It would be a far better imitation of the smell of cannabis than this k2 stuff is and 100% safe. It can do anything this fake crap can do and more. We do not need to sell narcotics as a smell. It makes no sense to sell illegal drugs to our children in a party store. If we wanted our kids to have hard drugs we'd send them to a real drugstore.

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JOE JOHNSON

12:22 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

You mean to tell me that everyone is up in arms regardig this (as they should be) but no one is interested in fnding out why one of the new (outsourced) janitors at a local high school was selling mairjuana to student(s) and no one asks why? What's wrong with this picture? Now the district decides to let the same company (GCA) move their outsourced people into all of this district's schools including the Jr High AND elementary schools? Am I the only parent that thinks that this is a bad idea? To find out more regarding this oursourced group... GOOGLE THE FOLLOWING..... GCA CUSTODIAL SEX CRIMES. They are scheduled to take over the cleaning at all of the schools starting July 1st. I feel very uncomfortable with this idea and YOU SHOULD TOO!!!

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Dave

2:18 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

I myself won't go into the janitor because i can already see why he was selling it. Because that's where the addicts are. Also since that is still illegal, just like selling salvia to children is still illegal, i would think you would be in favor of re-writing our stupid laws to just make it a crime to sell narcotics period without a liscense. It's not the plant that they are making illegal's fault for it's misuse. It is the store clerks and janitors who knowing that they are addictive and possibly deadly that are the criminals along with the people who intentionally make these narcotics look like a regular product. There's your drug dealing criminals people. Whomever is making this stuff.. regardless of what it is called is guilty of murder already. There is absolutely no reason why incense can't be made safe by using mint and other aromatics which would be safe to smoke. The crime here is and always was with intentionally lying to our children and telling them it is safe to smoke because it is synthetic weed when it was really a narcotic plant product. The crime is in intentionally trying to skirt the law in order to keep a known deadly product on our store shelves. Anyways people.. i say we enforce the laws we already have and quit this nonsence about banning any new plants.. sue the drug maker themelves and start arresting the drug pushers now.

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Craig S

10:52 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

We need to boycott any business this is or ever has sold this stuff. Lets put them out of business. This will send a message to other businesses. They'll realize the cost is much greater than a $200 fine. We need an easily accessible published list of anyone who has sold this. Boycott them all FOREVER!

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MP Smith

11:01 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I agree this stuff should be made illegal and gas stations, etc should STOP selling it NOW! But I'm also leaning towards a political move by the supervisor............he wants credit for everything.

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illuminant

2:43 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Me personally don't like it because no one knows the long term effects of it. and by taking it off the shelf just inspires addicts to it to substitute with something else. good job people. now only if i cared that much about the deaths of soldiers, and Innocent people overseas known as collateral damage to our representatives due to the resource wars your kids will be trapped in. all this because you cant convert to a true green energy using nikola tessla's ways. there is also magnetic generators, that produce more than they consume in energy. But greed likes to preserve its profit.
you will all repeat history, the age of oil is almost over. the price of goods will not increace just the value of our dollar will decrease making it seem prices going up.

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proto3

10:16 pm on Sunday, June 10, 2012

My friends older brother was on spice and came home, killed his father and beat his mother and brother into critical condition, with a bat. It is such a sham and tragedy. It happenden in Michigan you can look it up if you want. Cipriano family. He was tested positive for the use of spice. This synthetic crap needs to be illegal , its more dangerous than pot, and kids think since its legal its better for them.

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Tom Smith

8:33 am on Monday, July 9, 2012

These people are still selling spice on Mound across from Walmart just south of m59
Smokers Express
44620 Mound Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48314
(586) 997-1900

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