USAFWC commander bans use of Spice for Nellis, Creech Airmen Published March 16, 2010 By Capt. Grant Jenson U.S. Air Force Warfare Center Judge Advocate NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Nellis and Creech are a focal point of testing, training and tactics for the Air Force. This mission requires Airmen who are prepared, both mentally and physically, to take on the challenge of not only training for current overseas contingencies, but executing them as well. While the use of certain drugs have been deemed illegal for numerous years, recently the Air Force has experienced a surge in the amount Airmen using currently legal drugs for the same affect. Drugs not only hinder the ability for Airmen to accomplish the Nellis and Creech mission; but they also pose a threat to the mental preparedness to carry out Air Force overseas contingency operations. At the beginning of this year, Maj. Gen. Stanley T. Kresge, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center commander, issued an order banning the use of Spice, Salvia Divinorum, and Salvinorin A in any form by members of the Nellis and Creech Air Force Base communities. The General Order prohibits inhaling, smoking, chewing, consuming or introducing to the body in any manner Spice, Salvia Divinorum, or Salvinorin A. The order also prohibits the purchase, distribution or possession of all three substances. Spice, which is sometimes marketed as incense, is a mixture of herbs that can be ingested in a variety of methods, but is most commonly smoked. The synthetic compound present in Spice, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), creates a psychoactive reaction similar to THC. Spice is not a controlled substance in the United States, although various states are considering legislation to regulate or ban its use and distribution. Salvia Divinorum is a plant which is native to the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant may be ingested by chewing, smoking or drinking it as a tea mixture. The plant contains a psychoactive ingredient that causes psychoactive side effects such as hallucinations, loss of coordination and other damaging psychological and physical effects. The DEA has listed Salvia Divinorum and its active psychoactive ingredient, Salvinorian A, as "Drugs and Chemicals of Concern." Although not yet a federally - controlled substance, Calif., Del., Fla., Ill., Kan., La., Maine, Neb., N.C., N.D., Okla., Tenn., Va. and Ohio passed laws regulating or banning the use or sale of Salvia Divinorum. Several foreign countries, including Australia and Japan, also have regulatory controls on Salvia Divinorum and Salvinorian A. The recent order is not the first time that these substances have been banned. Gen. Roger Brady, the commander of United States Air Forces Europe, issued a similar ban for personnel stationed in Europe in January, 2009. Violation of the order is punishable under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and carries a maximum penalty of a Dishonorable Discharge, two years confinement, reduction to the grade of E-1, and total forfeiture of all pay and allowances.
