 | A tip led police to 800 pounds of damiana leaves. The leaves are used to make the drug called spice. Spice (i.e. K2) is not just a single drug, but a wide range of laboratory-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of THC. There are potentially thousands of variations being pushed out of labs in Russia and China. The material is sprayed onto plant matter like sage, damiana or tea leaves. The “spice” is placed into eye-catching packaging and sold by dealers and “herbal” shops. |  Spice has been illegal in the U.S. since 2013, and in the U.K. since May, 2016. |
 | After being tipped off about the damiana leaves, officers started investigating 40-year-old Ronald Kirkham and 38-year-old Trevor Calloway. Five people arrested were taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail. They all have since bonded out. Spice users appear to be on another planet, and that’s pretty much how they describe it. An ex-spice addict from Manchester: “You just feel braindead. They say people look like zombies, and that’s how it feels." There are reports of people having heart attacks and strokes – and even dying – after taking the drug. |  |
 | Cases have also been reported of kidney and liver damage and severe psychosis. The New York Times has reported a sharp rise in visits to emergency rooms and calls to poison control centers across America, resulting in several deaths. |  |
