Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jan 2012 Source: Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ) Copyright: 2012 Prescott Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.dcourier.com/Formlayout.asp?formcall=userform&form=1 Website: http://www.dcourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4036 Author: Lisa Irish CROWDS PROTEST AGAINST SALE OF 'DESIGNER DRUGS' IN PRESCOTT Cottonwood enacts ban; Prescott groups want same action Monica Wipf, who runs two recovery homes in Prescott, said she put out fliers for a protest against bath salts, window cleaner, spice, and other designer drugs, because she's seen the damage they have done. About 40 people gathered at the Yavapai County Courthouse on Wednesday morning to protest the sales of designer drugs in Prescott. "I know of a 17-year-old who OD'd on them and just came out of a coma recently who can't talk," Wipf said. "(Another) woman said to come down off of that stuff made her want to hurt herself." The goal of the protest, organized by drug court alumni, was to stop the legal sale of designer drugs in Prescott, said Jeanne Wellins, spokeswoman for MATForce. Wipf said she spoke Wednesday afternoon with state Sen. Linda Gray of Phoenix about designer drugs, and Wipf said she plans to talk with the Prescott city council about creating an ordinance, like one recently passed in Cottonwood, that makes the sale of designer drugs illegal within city limits. On Tuesday, the Cottonwood city council passed an emergency ordinance prohibiting the possession, use, sale and display of products containing three chemicals - 4-methyl-N-methylcathinone (mephedrone); 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (methylone); 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) - and their analogs found in designer drugs marketed as "bath salts" and "window cleaner." "In essence, what it does is ban any product that has three of the particular chemical precursors that go into bath salts," Cottonwood City Manager Doug Bartosh said. "It's patterned after the federal government ban." The ordinance makes any violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,500, incarceration for up to six months, or both. "Since synthetic drugs change as laws are passed, we are hoping this gives us a chance to respond quickly to these changes," Bartosh said. "The state government is looking at and supporting what we are doing." Other names these drugs are marketed under include "potpourri," "plant fertilizer" and "insect repellant," said Keith Boesen, managing director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center in Tucson. Boesen noted that the center received 79 calls about bath salts in 2011 compared to 1 in 2010, and 90 calls about spice in 2011, up from 20 in 2010. At the protest, Albert Padilla Sr., director of Prescott Sober Living, said he's had clients who relapsed by using designer drugs. A standard drug test won't show the chemicals, said Padilla. On Tuesday, Wipf told Prescott city council members that she asked store owners to stop selling designer drugs, but none said they would. So after finishing up at the courthouse, protestors continued their demonstration outside the stores. "People in recovery can change the people, places and things around them, but when you can buy this stuff at a convenience store, it's too easy to access," Wipf said. A staff member at C Stop, where the protesters gathered outside, declined to comment. Staff at Mike's Mini Mart and Hippie Emporium said protesters did not show up at their businesses, but a manager at the Island Store said the owner asked the protesters to move to the sidewalk after they were seen smoking near the gas pumps. "We follow all the laws for selling liquor and all other products," said Lisa Winkelmann, manager of the Island Store, as she pointed to MATForce awards the store has earned from 2008 to 2011 for their compliance. "We sell the potpourri; it's clearly marked as not for human consumption - we tell that to customers as well - and we never sell to kids." In the window of a store across from the courthouse was a sign that read "Treat Center will never sell designer drugs." Kathi Gaspar, co-owner, said she decided to display it after receiving a flyer about the protest. "I am 100 percent against kids getting involved in that kind of stuff," Gaspar said. "I have a grandson in middle school and the thought of someone offering that stuff to him is scary. I get really upset when people prey on the vulnerable." In the past four months, several people in Prescott have been found in possession of bath salts during DUI stops, and some with severe reactions to bath salts have been taken to local hospitals, according to police reports. "We have had reports of bath salt use, but not to the degree we were seeing with spice," Prescott Police Lt. Andy Reinhardt said. Daniel Mattson, an advocate who works with low-income people, said he recently helped a couple who told him they'd used bath salts and left their 1-year-old child in another person's care for six days. "This is something that's in Prescott. It's bad and we need to get it out of here," Mattson said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D