The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and Conyers Police Department are cracking down on sales of synthetic marijuana following a ruling by the state board.

In a joint effort called Operation (Synthetic Marijuana Advice Retrieval Termination), investigators and officers from the RCSO and CPD went to each convenience store and novelty shop in Rockdale County to make sure that they were not selling products believed to be Synthetic Cannabinoids, also known as synthetic marijuana. This followed an emergency ruling issued on Monday, June 11, by the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy that allows all peace officers in the state of Georgia to act as regulatory agents under the authority of the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency to identify and seize items thought to be Synthetic Cannabinoids.

Out of 52 stores, only one had items seized, but each store was made aware of the dangers that Synthetic Cannabinoids pose to the public.

In total, 43 packages of two different types of products labeled as hybrid smoking herbs were seized. One type retailed for $30 and the other type for $40, with instructions on how to smoke it.

Sheriff Jeff Wigington said, “I am thankful for the cooperation of each store in this matter and pleased with the results.”

Chief Gene Wilson said, “I am very impressed with the retailers inside the city. This is the second time in this year we have conducted our checks and none of our retailers have had any of these illegal substances for sale.”

A sample of each will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences for testing to determine if these products contain currently banned Synthetic Cannabinoid ingredients or to identify new ingredients that will be brought to the attention of the next Georgia General Assembly session. If the seized products do not fall under existing or new Synthetic Cannabinoid classifications, then they will be returned to the store.