K2/Spice Update: Royal Oak Stores Say They've Stop Selling Drug

“We don’t have it anymore!”

That was the response from the five Royal Oak vendors that were reported as still selling synthetic marijuana known as K2 or Spice at the end of May.

“We decided to stop selling it because we heard it was hurting a lot of kids,” said Wally Polis, the owner of the at 4727 Coolidge. “We didn’t want to sell something that was sending kids to the emergency room.”

Many of those casualties related to the synthetic drugs have been well-publicized, such as the , and its link to the in Farmington Hills.

“At first we thought it was just another form of tobacco,” Polis said as to why he was selling the then-legal Spice. “But now I know and I don’t support it at all and will not sell it anymore.”

The ban of the sale of K2/Spice, which is a mix of herbs that have been sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids and sold in stores as incense or potpourri, went into effect Wednesday in Royal Oak after many other communities passed similar legislation.

“I didn’t know it was now illegal to sell Spice,” said Anthony Sesi, the manager of on North Campbell, who said the store stopped selling it two weeks ago. “I stopped selling it after these women came in and starting yelling at me and telling me how dangerous it was for children’s health, and because of that I decided it wasn’t worth it since people were really upset that I had it.”

To better serve those consumers who do not want to support businesses that still have the drugs available, Oakland County launched a new website this week on which . After they sign the pledge, the retailers receive a decal to put in their shop's window so customers know they do not have the drugs.

Although Sesi had not heard of the pledge, he thought it was a good idea and would look into signing the pledge so his customers would know he is free of synthetic drugs.

Sam Abdullah, the owner of two Mobil gas stations in Royal Oak that were reported as selling K2/Spice, said he would also be willing to sign the pledge.

“I think the pledge will be good for business,” he explained. “I have kids and my employees have kids and we don’t want them using it, so the sticker will show that we are committed to keeping everyone’s kids safe.”