Air Force to discharge 30 Tinker airmen for possession of synthetic marijuana

Air Force to discharge 30 Tinker airmen for possession of synthetic marijuana

by BRYAN DEAN, newsok.com
June 14th 2011

30 airmen from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma will be discharged over possession of the drug Spice, a synthetic version of marijuana that was recently banned by the federal government.

Air Force officials are discharging 30 airmen at Tinker Air Force Base for possession or use of “Spice,” a synthetic version of marijuana, military officials said Monday.



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Air Force to discharge 30 Tinker airmen for possession of synthetic marijuana

Spice is a mixture of herbs sprayed with chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. It produces a high when smoked. Spice first appeared in Europe, and its use has spiked in the U.S. over the past few years.

The Drug Enforcement Administration temporarily banned the drug last year, and it was permanently added to the federal government's list of banned substances in March.

The U.S. Air Force's Office of Special Investigations recently finished an investigation that began after the drug was banned. Investigators found 30 airmen who possessed or used the drug ranging in rank from airman to senior airman.

Those service members are being discharged from the military.

Air Force officials said about half of those caught with the drug were habitual users who were passing it on to others.

Col. Bob LaBrutta, base commander, sent a warning to those on base that use of the drug won't be tolerated.

“Everyone needs to understand that Spice is a Schedule One controlled substance. In other words, it's considered the same as using marijuana,” LaBrutta said.

“If you use Spice and are caught — which you will be — the Air Force has a zero-tolerance policy, so you will be jeopardizing your military career.”

Special Agent Jeffrey Carlson, of the Office of Special Investigations, said authorities were tipped off to a mounting Spice problem on the base and identified those involved through interviews and other investigative measures.

“Even though Spice doesn't seem as serious of a drug as cocaine or marijuana, we don't just turn a blind eye to it,” Carlson said.

Before it was banned, the drug often was sold at smoke shops and other retailers in packages labeling it as incense.

Military officials said side effects can be much more serious than marijuana and include headaches, seizures and a feeling of numbness or paralysis.

Another common problem is that recipes for the drug vary, so it is difficult to predict its effects.

Military officials said service members who test positive for Spice can be court-martialed, demoted, dishonorably discharged, confined for at least five years and docked pay.



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