Falls Church Business Under Investigation for Selling Synthetic Cannabis

At least three people, including a juvenile, have overdosed in the City of Falls Church presumably on a synthetic cannabis called K2, which is also referred to as “fake pot.”

On June 28, Falls Church police seized 1,700 packets of K2 and 86 bags of evidence containing drug paraphernalia from The Arabica Tobacco Shop in the 1100 block of W. Broad St.

As of March 23, it’s illegal to sell, possess, gift or distribute K2 in Virginia, said Mary Gavin, deputy chief of the city’s police force. House Bill 1434, which prohibits possession of synthetic cannabis, a Class I misdemeanor, in Virginia states: Possession with intent to distribute and manufacturing are felonies.

“Depending on the amount someone has in their possession, it can go up to a Class 6 felony,” Gavin said Thursday.

No charges have been filed against the owners of the tobacco shop and the investigating remains open, Gavin said. The joint investigation of the shop between City of Falls Church police and Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control turned up two sales of K2 to agents. Gavin said the suspected K2 is being tested in a lab. The owner of the store was not available for comment Thursday. Synthetic cannabis is a combination of herbal and chemical products that mimics the euphoric and anxious effects of real cannabis.

Gavin said K2 does present a public safety and health concern. She said the juvenile who overdosed admitted smoking K2, also called “spice,” while the two adults did confess to using it not but displayed symptoms of having interaction with the substance. She said police found a customer on the floor of The Arabica Tobacco Shop on June 14. The customer had the inability to move and had slurred speech, but refused medical assistance, Gavin said. She said it’s unknown if the customer suffered from interaction with K2.

“Knowing that it’s been sold here less than 1,000 feet from a school is concerning,” Gavin said. “It’s been around a couple of years now. It’s something that had been legal before.”