SLUMPED
SLUMPED OVER AT BUS STOPS--4@ UNCONSCIOUS ON THE CORNER-- KNOWN AS
"LOUISVILLE'S LIVING DEAD". THE
DRUG IS CALLED SPICE AND ITS NOT
NEW
NEW TO
NEW TO OUR CITY-- BUT SCIENTISTS 4@ SAY THE
STRANDS THEY'RE SEEING TODAY ARE
MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER BEFORE@
HERE'S FOCUS4@ INVESTIGATOR SHA@
MCALISTER. 4@
MCALISTER. 4@
4@
4@4@4@
"911-
"911- WHAT IS THE ADDRESS OF YOUR EMERGENCY?" CALLER
:12
CALLER :12 "SOME MAN IS FOAMING OUT HIS
MOUTH." BACKYARD SPICE USER
340
"THE VERY FIRST HIGH- YOU'RE
LIKE REAL, REAL HIGH."
55
"IS HE CONSCIOUS AND BREATHING?"
CALLERXB;"HE'S CONSCIOUS BUT4@
HE'S
HE'S
HE'S 4@4@4@
4@4@4@
4@4@4@ 4@4@4@
4@4@4@
4@4@4@ SHAKING AND FOAMING OUT HIS
4@4@4@ SHAKING AND FOAMING OUT HIS4@
MOUTH." DR. ASHLEY WEBB/TOXICOLOGIST,
LEAD DIRECTOR KY POISON CONTROL
CENTER
CENTER
CENTER 955 "YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN YOU'RE
PURCHASING IT WHICH STRAND
YOU'RE GETTING."
TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE
FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE
120
"THEY SOMETIMES WILL- WITH JUST
ONE HIT OF A SPICE STICK- FALL
TO THE GROUND." TH4@E DRUG STARS
AS A WHITE POWDER IN A LAB--
4@SPRAYED ONTO PLANT LIKE MATERL
AND PACKAGED LIKE PAUPERIZE. ITS
CALLED SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA-- BUT
EXPERTS AT THE KENTUCKY STATE
POLICE CRIME LAB SAY TODAY'S
SPICE
SPICE IS
SPICE IS 1000- TIMES STRONGER 4@THAN THC. SPICE USER COUPLE 138
"THAT'S THE BIGGEST JOKE THEY
COULD HAVE CALLED IT- SYNTHETIC
MARIJUANA- YOU DON'T SEE PEOPLE
DYING FROM MARIJUANA." ROLLED
INTO A BLUNT-- AND SMOKED-- USERS DESCRIBE THE DRUG AS CHEAP
AND ADDICTIVE. SPICE USER COUPLE
403
403
403 "I
403 "I DON'T EVEN BUY IT TO GET HIGH
NO MORE, PERSONALLY, I DON'T. I
BUY IT TO STAY FROM THROWING UP
ALL THE TIME, TO KEEP FROM
BEING SICK." CHOOSING SPICE OVER HEROIN-- THE
COUPLE SAYS THEY NEVER HAVE TO
GO FAR TO FIND THEIR NEXT FIX. SPICE USER COUPLE
110
"EAST, WEST, SOUTH YOU'RE GOING
TO FIND
TO FIND
TO FIND IT ON ANY CORNER." IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE-- USERS
LITERALLY SLIDE INTO A FAMILIAR
SLUMP.
SLUMP.
SLUMP. TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE
CLIP 2
635
"THAT LEAN- THAT HOLD ONTO A
GATE, OR A
FENCE, I SEE IT EVERY DAY. EVERY
4@4@
DAY."
4@4@ DAY." EVERY DAY TINY HERRON MARKWELL
SEES THE STRUGGLE AMONG THOSE
STRUGGLING THE MOST. TINY HERRON
MARKWELL/THE
MARKWELL/THE FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE 607
"IT REMINDS ME A WHOLE LOT OF4@
WHEN
CRACK HIT THE STREETS- AND CRACK
BECAME AN EPIDEMIC. IT WAS4@
OBVIOUS THAT4@ WAS MEANT TO INFILTRATE LOW
INCOME, AFRICAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITIES. I'M WATCHING THAT
HAPPEN WITH SPICE- WITHIN THOSE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS." BUT
EVERY BATCH IS DIFFERENT--
DIFFERENT CHEMICALS CAUSING DIFFERENT
REACTIONS.4@
DIFFERENT REACTIONS.4@ DR. ASHL4@EY WEBB/TOXICOLOGIST,
LEAD DIRECTOR KY POISON CONTROL
CENTER
CENTER
CENTER 150 "IN SOME CASES IT CAN BE4@
HALLUCINATIONS,
AGITATION, THEY BECOME WILD,
WE'VE
SEEN PATIENTS FALL INTO COMA."
AND WHEN EVERY BAD BATCH HITS
OUR CITY'S
STREETS. THE HIGH IS NEW LOW FOR
METRO4@
METRO4@
METRO4@ LOUISVILLE. TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE
FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE
113
4@"WE 4@ALWAYS CAN TELL WHEN THS
A BAD BATCH OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE
ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES- LITERALLY DROPPING4@
LIKE FLIES."
LAST YEAR-- AN ADDITIVE MEANT TO
KILL.
KILL.
OPERATOR
OPERATOR 31 "THERE'S A GUY LAYING IN A YARD
4@
AND YOU
THINK HE OD'D?"
CALLER XB;"YEAH- HE'S GOT BLOOD
COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH."XB;
IT
IT WAS
IT WAS SPICE-- LACED WITH RAT POISON. DR. ASHLEY WEBB/TOXICOLOGIST, LEAD DIRECTOR
KY POISON CONTROL
CENTER 240
CENTER 240 "SO WE HAD CASES OF PATIENTS WHO
USED THIS PRODUCT THAT WAS
CONTAMINATED WITH THE RAT BAIT,
HAD PROBLEMS WITH CLOTTING AND
BLEEDING AND ENDED UP BEING TREATED FOR SEVERAL4@
MONTHS."
MONTHS."
MONTHS." 4@
4@
4@ 4@
4@ 4@ OPERATOR
4@ OPERATOR 110
OPERATOR 110 "DID I HEAR YOU SAY YOU THINK
HE'S ON
SPICE?"
CALLER
SPICE?" CALLER 116
CALLER 116 "THEY SAID HE HAD SOME BAD SPICE
BUT I'M NOT SURE..
121 "I WORK IN THIS STORE SO I SEE
THIS STUFF ALL DAY BUT I'VE
NEVER SEEN FOAM COMING OUT O4@F
NOBODY'S MOUTH." SHAY MCALISTER
4@
4@ STAND
4@ STAND UP THE DANGEROUS DRUG SEEMINGLY RUNNING
RAMPANT ON LOUISVILLE'S4@
STREETS--
STREETS--
STREETS-- 4@
4@
4@ SO
4@ SO WE
4@ SO WE STARTED LOOKING FOR
NUMBERS-- WHAT WE FOUND-- NO ONE
IS KEEPING TRACK.
TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE
2424
"IT IS ALARMING TO ME THAT THEY
AREN'T4@
AREN'T4@
AREN'T4@ KEEPING ANY KIND OF DATA OR TRACKING
ANYTHING."
TRACKING ANYTHING." METRO EMS PROVIDED US WITH
NUMBERS ON SPICE OVERDOSE
4@
4@ CALLS-- 241 RUNS FROM NOVEMBER 2018 TO NOVEMBER 2019-- 28
RUNS JUST IN THE MONTH OF
AUGUST.
BUT EVEN EMS ADMITS THOSE4@
NUMBERS DON'T
GIVE US THE FULL PICTURE. LMPD
CONFIRMED IN THIS EMAIL THEY "DO
NOT TRACK SPICE".
THE METRO LOUISVILLE HEALTH DEPARTMENT4@
TOLD US THEY AREN'T TRACKING
SPICE USE IN
THE COMMUNITY AT ALL- CALLING IT
"OUT OF
"OUT OF
"OUT OF THEI4@R PURVIEW". TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE
FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE4@
2805
"SPICE STARTED OUT AS A LITTLE
BAG THAT YOU
COULD GET AT A GAS STATION.
EVERYONE4@
THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE- IT WAS
SYNTHETIC
MARIJUANA. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT
4@
IS. WE
4@ IS. WE
4@ IS. WE HAVE NO IDEA." 2814
TINY HERRON MARKWELL/THE
FORGOTTEN LOUISVILLE
1459
"I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD WAIT
UNTIL
SOMETHING IS AN EPIDEMIC. WE DID
THAT
THAT
THAT WITH
THAT WITH HEROIN." SHAY MCALISTER/TAG
LACK OF NUMBERS COULD LEAD TO A
LACK
LACK
LACK OF
LACK OF RESOURCES, LACK OF FUNDING4@ AND LACK
OF AWARENESS-- IN A COMMUNITY
FAMILIAR
FAMILIAR WITH THE EFFECTS OF AN 4@ EPIDEMIC.
4@ EPIDEMIC. FOR FOCUS- I'M SHAY MCALISTER.4@
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR AN
ISSUE YOU'D LIKE OUR FOCUS T4@EAM TO4@
LOOK INTO,
SEND THEM AN EMAIL TO "FOCUS AT
4@WHAS11-DOT-COM."
4@WHAS11-DOT-COM."