The Spice Epidemic Inside Arizona Prisons: A Deadly and Unstoppable Crisis

Gordon Grilz explains the growing spice epidemic inside Arizona’s prisons, revealing how synthetic cannabis is destroying lives and overwhelming correctional facilities.

According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry, there is an “epidemic of spice in Arizona’s prison system.” They go on to say that “spice has devastated countless lives in Arizona’s prisons.”

So what is “spice“? Sometimes called K2 or synthetic cannabis, spice is a human-made drug that imitates marijuana but is far more dangerous and unpredictable. It’s put on paper, making it easier to smuggle into prison, where it’s also known as “tippers,” “wiggle,” or “man down.”

Why Spice Is So Common

The attraction of spice in prisons seems to rest on three factors: availability, price, and depending on what it’s cut with, its ability to sometimes evade detection through urinalysis. According to Dr. Holly Geyer, Substance Abuse Disorder Specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, spice “is often sprayed with unknown chemicals, making every dose a gamble.” Roach spray, wasp spray, and rat poison are three of those chemicals. Dr. Geyser says that in Arizona, the most common additive is fentanyl. She states that 55% of the fentanyl coming into the U.S. passes through Arizona, making it readily available and cheap.

Effects of the Spice Epidemic

Spice can cause hallucinations, extreme anxiety, aggression, rapid heartbeat, seizures, and even death. I’ve witnessed inmates who smoked spice wandering the yard, staggering, falling down in the dirt, unable to get up, having convulsions, puking, screaming, yelling, sometimes ranting about demons. Some have jumped headlong from the second tier onto the concrete below.

At first, prison staff tried to ignore it, but the problem became too big. When we got a new warden, things changed. Restraint chairs on wheels were brought in, and spice users who fell out got free rides to medical, then the sergeant’s office. So many inmates were falling out, some again and again, that the administration started moving them to a separate yard (there are four yards in our unit), taking their clothes, putting them in jumpsuits, and locking them down for 30 days. This has had some effect, but the problem rages on. We’ve had two shakedowns where search teams have been brought in during extended lockdowns. There’s no end in sight. Prison officials are scrambling to devise strategies to cope with this epidemic.

After repeated lockdowns due to so many spice users falling out on the yard, the prison population is losing their tolerance for such misbehavior, and frank discussions and arguments aren’t uncommon. Inmates who can’t or won’t control their behavior are causing others to lose their privileges which were earned by good behavior. Regular mail and contact visitation are now in jeopardy.

How Drugs Enter the System

You may wonder how drugs like spice get into prisons. Three primary ways are staff, the mail, and visitation. Prisoners can be creative, imaginative, and innovative in the ways they get around security. Regarding staff, remember that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In Arizona, prison staff, even if caught, are rarely prosecuted.

Medical on our unit provides Suboxone and methadone to many inmates through the Medication Assisted Treatment Program. Many of the inmates who receive these medications spit them out while security looks the other way, and take them back to the yard, where they sell them, trade them for other drugs like spice, or take them later in larger doses. This only exacerbates the spice epidemic.

The Long-Term Damage of Spice

Long-term spice use is linked to organ damage, lasting psychosis, severe addiction, and sudden death. As a recreational drug user from the 1960s and 1970s, I have some experience with drugs. We used to get high on marijuana, get the munchies, trip out on psychedelics, and listen to music. As far as I can see, spice users aren’t getting high—they’re getting low. Some of the inmates who are choosing to use spice already suffer from impaired reasoning. Now they’re expediting their further deterioration.

If someone tries to get you to smoke spice, choose life instead. Say “no thanks” and walk away. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. I’ve been incarcerated since 1981, and I now have 45 years of sobriety. So I know it’s possible.

Want to read more? Don’t miss Who’s to Blame for Drugs in Prison?

The post The Spice Epidemic Inside Arizona Prisons: A Deadly and Unstoppable Crisis first appeared on Prison Writers.