DEA Raids New York Shops for 'Spice' Sales

Several small shops in central New York State were raided Wednesday following an investigation of synthetic marijuana.

Two markets in Syracuse were raided in addition to others throughout the region, CNYCentral.com reports. Officials say the shops were selling "spice," a form of synthetic marijuana that was banned by New York in 2012.

The drug is labeled as incense and usually indicates it is "not for human consumption," but users smoke it to achieve a similar high as that produced by marijuana. The herbal mixtures laced with chemicals are not safe and some users complain it causes anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations, says The National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The New York raids resulted in several arrests, with more expected, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which conducted the raids with state and local law enforcement.

The raids coincided with the arrest of the owner of the Tebb's Head Shops chain, John Tebbetts III, who was charged with selling mislabled designer drugs, including "bath salts" and "synthetic marijuana," CNYCentral.com reported.