Idaho Briefs October 16, 2010
‘Spice’ drug rule goes into effect
Gov. Butch Otter signed a temporary rule making the chemically-laced incense Spice illegal in Idaho.
Upon his signature, Spice will be considered a controlled substance, so retailers need to remove the substance, police said.
“Our goal is to gain voluntary compliance as soon as possible,” Post Falls police Detective Neil Uhrig said.
Retailers can bring the substance into their local law enforcement agency, which will destroy it for free.
Spice, packaged under the names K2, Posh, Bliss and Stone, Ultra, Summit, Blonde, Yucatan Gold, Bombay Blue, Black Mamba, Genie and others, are herbs coated with a synthetic chemical that mimics a marijuana high when smoked.
Spice is sold as an incense and “not for human consumption” as a means to avoid legal requirements and regulations. It does not test positive in drug tests.
A survey of Idaho hospitals between February and August reported more than 80 emergency room visits in that six-month period.
Rathdrum annex request approved
RATHDRUM — The Rathdrum City Council on Tuesday night approved a 60.7-acre annexation request north of Highway 53 and east of Meyer Road.
The council voted 3-1 to approve the request, with councilman Fred Meckel casting the lone “no” vote.
The applicants are Viking Construction and the Rathdrum Lions Club.
The Lions Club has its hall and ball fields on 9.5 acres at the southwest corner of the site. The remaining 30 acres along Highway 53 would be a combination of commercial (21.1 acres) and high-density or multi-family residential (8.8 acres). The northern 30 acres of the property would be suburban residential.
Buffering between the project and homes on 5-acre lots to the north is a condition of the annexation. Some neighbors had voiced concerns that the subdivision will decrease property values and infringe on their rural lifestyles.
The subdivision could have roughly 100 single-family homes, but that’s subject to demand and other factors. Building will likely begin in 2012.
The council also agreed to hear a formal annexation request for 13 acres north of Park Rose Estates near Highway 53 and Meyer.