CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Air Force has begun limited testing of urine samples for the designer drug Spice but still does not have the ability to randomly test all airmen, officials say.
Testing for synthetic forms of marijuana is for now only being used in cases involving criminal investigations, and only 12 samples have been taken for testing so far, the Air Force press desk at the Pentagon told Stars and Stripes Friday.
The Air Force Surgeon General announced Spice testing had begun last week without specifying the type or scope of the screening. The Air Force provided more detailed information after an inquiry by Stars and Stripes.
The service said it hopes to eventually begin randomized urine screening of all airmen, which it now does for other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, but it would not elaborate on why that is not yet possible.
Meanwhile, current testing in criminal cases can only detect "several" of the five synthetic forms of marijuana banned this week by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Air Force said. The press desk would not identify which of the synthetic drugs it can identify with urinalysis and said there are not yet test results for the 12 samples already taken.
"We are testing for several chemicals now, and will adapt to test for others in the future as the need arises," the prepared statement said.
The disclosure comes as the Air Force, the military and the federal government wage a crackdown on Spice, which is the commercial name associated with the various synthetic marijuana-like drugs that have recently swept the United States. The drugs are sprayed onto dried herbs that resemble marijuana and give a euphoric high when smoked.
The compounds also can cause panic attacks, hallucinations, vomiting and bouts of anger, according to the Air Force.Most of the military has banned Spice in the past couple years, and hundreds of troops have been reprimanded or separated in recent months for using the drug.
"Air Force commanders have initiated over 260 punitive actions, consisting of courts-martial and non-judicial punishment, for Spice related offenses" since it was banned in the service in July, the Air Force said in its statement Friday to Stars and Stripes.
In January, five Air Force cadets were expelled from the U.S. Air Force academy and seven midshipmen were expelled from the U.S. Naval academy for using Spice.
So far, most of the Spice cases have hinged on servicemember admissions and witness statements, said Philip Cave, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in military drug cases. Cave said he is not aware of any military cases involving urine testing for Spice.
"Primary, most people are confessing to this," he said. "They are rolling over, taking the Article 15 and going home."The U.S. military performs routine, random urine testing on servicemembers for drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and ecstacy. But drug testing for Spice has remained mostly elusive because all its forms are difficult to identify in urine.
"There have been tests developed and they have been commercially available for a year or so," Cave said.A private California drug testing lab says it can identify two of the five banned forms of synthetic marijuana, known as cannabinoids, in urine. The company did not return calls for comment this week.
Meanwhile, a company in St. Paul, Minn., began marketing a test for Spice that it said was one of the first such tests developed. It costs $60 and provides results within one to two days, according to the company.
Last week, the Air Force became the first service to publicly announce urine screening for cannabinoids, which have been developed in laboratories and in some cases are many times more powerful than pot.
"Spice is like Coke. Today, there are a million different soft drinks like Coke on the market," said Yancey Ellis, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in military cases and a former Marine Corps judge advocate. "Spice is a generalized term to describe all these substances. The majority of time we are talking about synthetic cannabinoids."
