SHALIMAR — Fifty-two convenience stores have joined the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Gold Star Retailer campaign to stop synthetic drug sales and warn residents of related dangers.
Deputies asked Okaloosa convenience store owners to sign an agreement stating they would not sell synthetic drugs. The businesses received a poster for display to notify patrons of the decision.
The signed agreements list the dangers of illegal synthetic marijuana drugs like K-2 or "spice." Such drugs can cause hypertension, tachycardia and "serious and unpredictable psychological effects," as stated in the agreement.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Since January 2012, the Okaloosa Multi-Agency Drug Task Force has investigated the sale of these illegal substances.
The unit has seized more than $625,000 and $2.9 million in inventory.
It has executed nearly two dozen search warrants, made six arrests, and handled more than 60 undercover buys of illegal synthetic drugs from local businesses.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fifty-two convenience stores named Gold Star Retailers