Finding the synthetic drugs known as “spice” and “bath salts” in Yavapai County will now be a lot harder.

On Sept. 17, Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Michael Bluff turned a temporary injunction into a permanent one, forbidding 12 retailers named in an August civil lawsuit from selling “novelty powders” like bath salts and spice.

Any other business could open and legally begin selling the powders or new variations, Chief Civil Deputy County Attorney Jack Fields said, but the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office would target them as well.

“We’re actively looking for anyone selling these substances and if we find them, we’ll simply add them to the lawsuit,” Fields said.

Bath salts are synthetic amphetamines known as cathinones, which reportedly mimic the effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and most closely khat, a plant native to the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa banned in the United States.

Spice is a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics the effects of marijuana when smoked.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Sept. 26, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.