City leaders in San Diego have approved an emergency law that bans the synthetic drug spice.
The ordinance, considered the toughest of its kind in the state of California, bans the sale, manufacture, possession and distribution of spice and related drugs.
Spice or K2 is a chemical mixture sprayed on to a plant substance that users can then smoke or ingest to achieve a similar effect to marijuana.
It is sold under a variety of names according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
But the drug can lead to medical emergencies such as seizures, comas and hallucinations.
Since last November to March of this year, officials say there have been 650 spice cases. Of them, 120 cases have been in Downtown San Diego.
Current laws ban certain chemical combinations used in spice but manufacturers began experimenting with chemical combinations that were not covered.
