Anchorage police believe they’ve pinpointed the rapid increase in the use of spice among the homeless to a specific time frame in July, when drug dealers began offering free samples.
Gradually, police say, they began charging for the drug and slowly raising the price.
Spice is a form of synthetic concoction, often laced with dangerous chemicals.
The homeless say it sells for about $5 per joint, still cheaper than alcohol – a scourge that’s sending users to the emergency room in record numbers.
KTVA 11’s Rhonda McBride and photojournalist Emily Landeen spent an afternoon at Bean’s Café talking with the homeless about spice. They also documented the sudden transformation of a young man, who smoked spice and within minutes turned into a drooling, incoherent mess.
For more about what the city of Anchorage is doing to combat the spice problem, you can watch this Sunday’s Frontiers program – which also looks at the spice problem from the perspective of first responders.
Friday, February 17 2017 12:06 PM EST2017-02-17 17:06:28 GMT
Thursday, June 21 2018 4:03 PM EDT2018-06-21 20:03:55 GMT
You’re my friends now. We’re having soft tacos later. Yeah but I don’t know how to make myself go there. Maybe it might never happen again. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Put a little fence around it! Ralph Waldo Pickle Chips! I don’t know him.Pony Lords, jump for you
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
Thursday, February 23 2017 9:17 PM EST2017-02-24 02:17:22 GMT
Thursday, March 16 2017 1:27 PM EDT2017-03-16 17:27:38 GMT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
Monday, August 27 2018 5:26 PM EDT2018-08-27 21:26:00 GMT
Tuesday, May 5 2020 10:40 AM EDT2020-05-05 14:40:00 GMT
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