HOUSTON – A Houston-area adult novelty retail chain was slapped with $1.175 million in civil fines and penalties for selling synthetic marijuana, according to Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan.
District Court Judge Randy Wilson entered a final judgment on Aug. 31 against nine Houston area Katz Boutique & Smoke Shop stores and their owners, prohibiting them from selling or offering for sale synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs. If any of the stores do not comply, it could be closed for one year.
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Katz’s owners agreed to pay the $1.175 million fine to settle lawsuits filed by the state and county. The lawsuits resulted from a series of undercover investigations by Harris County Sheriff’s Office narcotics officers that led to the seizure of more than 3,000 packets of synthetic marijuana. The investigation revealed the Katz stores had sold many thousands of packets of Kush.
The penalty is the largest ever paid in Texas from a case involving the sale of synthetic marijuana.
Synthetic marijuana, also known as Kush, is a designer drug, typically manufactured overseas, that is marketed as a “safe” and “legal” alternative to marijuana. Synthetic marijuana a dried leafy substance that is sprayed with hallucinogenic chemicals that are dangerous and highly addictive to the user, the Harris County attorney’s office said in a news release. It is often sold in colorful packets in fruit flavors. Kush is the second most abused drug by high school students behind marijuana, the release said.
“Store owners who choose to sell Kush and ignore the law do so at their own peril,” said County Attorney Ryan. “My office will continue the fight, together with law enforcement and state, county, and city officials, to put a stop to greedy store owners who sell these dangerous chemicals to our children. We will continue to seek substantial fines against them and shut down their businesses entirely if necessary.”
In June, 16 people were hospitalized after overdosing on Kush in Hermann Park.