Fire it up

Updated A Lark Street shop -- Shining Star Enterprises (map) -- is among the "head shops" the state attorney general's office says it's filed suit against for allegedly "violating the state's labeling laws by selling designer drugs, including commonly known synthetics such as 'bath salts' and 'synthetic marijuana.'" Shining Star's Google Place page says the shop sells incense and encourages people to "FIRE IT UP." The owner tells CBS6 he's done nothing wrong and pulled one of the products in question earlier this year. This is the third separate incident this year in which a Lark Street shop has allegedly been involved with drugs -- there were two separate busts at 252 Lark Street in the spring. [NYS AG] [Google Plus] [CBS6]

Comments

The last sentence seems to imply that the drug bust down the street from SS is somehow related. Irresponsible journalism!

Editors: Not at all an intended implication. And we don't think that noting it's just down the street from two other shops getting busted in separate incidents for alleged drug sales implies anything -- it just highlights the fact that three shops on a busy, well-known street have come under such scrutiny this year. But in order to head off any possible confusion, we've adjusted the last line.

For anyone coming to this after the fact, here's the original line: "At 244 Lark, Shining Star is just down the street from 252 Lark, the site of two separate drug busts this past spring."

The madness of american drug policy. People buy dangerous, legal alternatives like synthetic THC and "bath salts" because they can't buy relatively benign, but illegal marijuana.

What Do You Get From A Drug War Costing $25 Billion Annually? Cocaine 74 Percent Cheaper Than It Was 30 Years Ago

http://reason.com/blog/2012/07/05/new-york-times-what-do-you-get-from-a-dr

legalizing weed is a no-brainer, and legalizing blow should be closely examined.

So, why is the AG suing, instead of filing criminal charges. If these guys are doing such bad things, why isn't the criminal justice system suite to handle them?

While Shining Star does sell bath salts, it's important to note that the bath salts in question are sodium chloride crystals from the Dead Sea, a far cry from the implied drug product that has received so much negative attention from the press over the past few months.

http://www.news10.com/story/18993283/ny-ag-targets-shops-selling-synthetic-drugs

Go to 1:10 to see Dan Heins offering BATH SALTS. Of course, it's the same kind of salt that hospitals inject you with, but still. SCARY.

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