Spice illegal for Airmen, produces dangerous side effects

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Although it is banned from use by all Air Force members and scheduled to soon become illegal for all American citizens, not much is known about the drug "spice."

Spice, considered a marijuana alternative because it has the same effects, is a mixture of potentially dangerous herbs coated with chemicals and is often smoked like a cigarette.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, a ruling will be made in late December classifying spice and five of its ingredients as illegal.

"While we were previously worrying about what stores might be selling spice, soon it will be illegal for all stores to sell it," said Capt. Michelle McAdoo, 23rd Wing Legal Office assistant judge advocate. "To put it simply, military members are not allowed to use it at any time. Doing so is not only a failure to follow orders, it is a violation of federal law."

According to Air Force Instruction 44-121, "Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) Program," Airmen are directly prohibited from using spice.

Gen. William Fraser III, commander of Air Combat Command, further emphasized the restriction of use in his memo released April 15. General Fraser forbade all ACC military members from using or possessing spice in all of its forms, including incense.

If an Airman does use spice, disciplinary or adverse administrative actions will be pursued under Article 112a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is wrongfully using a controlled substance.

One of the most important reasons Air Force members are restricted from using spice is because of the dangerous side effects it can cause.

"Aside from the fact it's not permitted for use by Air Force personnel, using spice can be dangerous," said Capt. Laura Boylan, Moody Air Force Base ADAPT program manager. "The manufacturing of it isn't closely controlled and there can be dangerous ingredients in it that you won't know about."

It is this lack of control during manufacturing that makes spice dangerous.

"Spice mimics the effects of marijuana, but can be more powerful," said Linda Glynn, 23rd Medical Group Family Practice nurse. "Because of the lack of quality control, you never really know much about what you're putting in your body. Spice can be laced with varying amounts of synthetic chemicals that lead to a dependency on the drug."

The dependency on spice can lead to many negative physical and psychological side effects.

"Side effects include a very fast heart rate, nausea, paranoia, hallucinations, headaches and anxiety," Ms. Glynn said. "I've dealt with patients who have gone to the emergency room because their symptoms were so severe they thought they were having a panic attack. We want to keep our Airmen healthy and not using spice can be a part of that."

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the active ingredient in spice is JWH-018 and can be four to five times more potent than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main ingredient in marijuana.