Potpourri

Dr. Tim Rohrig has a way to describe the dangers of potpourri and bath salts. “It's like playing chemical Russian roulette,” says Rohrig who leads the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center. His scientists are trying to catch up to a new line of drugs. Potpourri, a synthetic form of marijuana, can be 10 to 50 times more powerful than the real drug. Bath salts, a synthetic form of cocaine or ecstasy, can be 10 times more potent. “These are not tranquil drugs, they are just like cocaine just like meth,” says Rohrig.

A judge has sentenced the owner of a former Salina store, The Grind, to an additional two and a half years in prison. According to our news partners at The Salina Journal , Eric Srack, wanted the sentencing completed so he could resume his drug-rehabilitation program at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. A jury convicted Srack of selling a controlled substance from his store. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. On Monday, two additional cases were settled with the time on his sentencing being doubled.

The trial begins for the owner of a Salina store accused of illegally selling "potpourri'. Prosecutors say Eric Srack sold herbal potpourri (used for smoking) at The Grind, adding the potpourri contained chemicals determined to be illegal drugs. Jury selection in the trial started early Wednesday morning and lasted into the late afternoon hours. After a jury of twelve (eight men and four women) were selected each side then gave their opening statements. The prosecution laid out what they called a “road map”.

Local attorneys have been prosecuting more synthetic marijuana cases. The drugs are more commonly known as "potpourri" "K-2" and "spice. " The state outlawed most forms of synthetic marijuana in 2010, but police said they are investigating more cases. "We're getting more complaints coming in from citizens, more complaints coming in to Crime Stoppers, more complaints from area businesses saying this is in our community, this is out there, it's real," said Lt. Chris Bannister. The packages are usually in small quantities, like three or five grams.

The Wichita School District doesn't know what it was. Potpourri? Bath salts? Something else? Whatever it was, it sent one students to the hospital in serious condition. The district says the 18-year-old student was with a group that smoked the substance Thursday during lunch. A spokesperson says it was bought at a business across the street from Northwest High School. When the students came back to school, a teacher noticed one didn't look well. He was asked if he needed help.

They're legal and growing in popularity: synthetically altered potpourri and bath salts. Police say people use to get high. Now a new effort has been introduced to stop their sale in Kansas. "I have never seen anything take a community like this...not even meth," says Lieutenant Jim Norton of the Salina Police Department   Salina police met with state law makers in Topeka on Tuesday. Authorities are pushing for a new law to make selling or possessing the items illegal.  They hope to get it passed by July.

Continuing coverage of a Salina store known for selling “potpourri”, which is now an illegal drug. The space that used to house The Grind is now sold. Last week we told you that the building was on the market. The store was raided and shut down following an investigating by Salina police. Today people from a realty company spent the day clearing out the building; they loaded up any items from the store into the back of a pick-up truck and hauled them away. The realty company would not tell us how much the building sold for, or who bought it.

Over the past year The Grind has been a hot bed of activity in Salina. For starters, the store was known as a spot where you can buy “potpourri” which is now considered an illegal drug. Then a drug task force raided The Grind and the store shut down. The empty shop now has a large “for sale” sign in front of it as the shop is now on the real estate market. Eyewitness News spoke with owner Eric Srack earlier this year. Srack was booked on several drug charges after his store was shut down.