Braselton store turns over ‘fake pot’ after new law passes

Deal signed SB 370 — also called Chase’s Law, in memory of a 16-year-old student that was found dead after smoking synthetic marijuana — into law on Tuesday, March 27.

The following day, the owner of Hookah’s, Etc. shop on Ga. Hwy. 53 in Braselton called police to turn over his inventory of synthetic herbal blends and male enhancement pills.

The store’s owner told police that he wanted to meet the new state law, according to an incident report. Braselton police took the items into evidence and marked them for destruction.

The governor’s office said synthetic marijuana products are sold in gas stations throughout the state and are purchased and smoked by individuals in search of a legal high. Synthetic cannabinoids contain marijuana-like chemical compounds combined with different forms of dried vegetation.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement officials from across the state asked Deal to immediately sign SB 370 in order to begin the crackdown on the substances. One of those agencies, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, announced that it would charge anyone with the substances the day after Deal signed the legislation into law.