- March 12, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to place a ban on the display, sale and distribution of synthetic herbal incense and bath salt products.
Synthetic marijuana is a psychoactive designer drug derived of natural herbs — sprayed with synthetic chemicals — that, when consumed, allegedly mimics the pleasurable effects of marijuana.
The “fake” drug, which is commonly referred to as incense and is consumed by being smoked, is sold at convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops. Often times dubbed Mr. Happy, Mad Hatter or Cool Beanz, the product is sold in 1- to 3-ounce packages for about $20 to $30.
Although the package states that it should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18, there is no legal mechanism that says the prospective buyer must be 18 or older, according to Cpl. Don Apperson, of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Apperson, side effects can linger for six weeks to six months.
The citywide ban would be a civil (code enforcement) ban because it’s still not deemed illegal at the state or federal levels. Instead, businesses selling the product would be fined $300 each day the item remains on shelves. The fine is the most severe penalty allowed under city code, according to City Manager Jim Landon.
City Councilman Jason DeLorenzo said Tuesday that the city informed the other municipalities and the county about the ordinance.
“We’re not trying to push this on our neighboring communities,” DeLorenzo said. “We’re trying to comprehensively make a change here in Flagler County.”
City Councilman Bill McGuire noted that just because the product has the title “synthetic,” doesn’t mean it’s fake.
“This is a big deal, and it’s far worse than marijuana would ever be,” he said.
Apperson agreed. He said it’s not the actual herbs that are sold that cause health effects such as vomiting, increased heart rate, seizures and death, but it’s the unknown chemicals that are sprayed onto the herbs.
“It’s time to take action, folks,” Apperson said. “Let’s do something, make a statement, and let’s take care of this before it becomes an epidemic in our community for our children.”
