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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

28 sailors accused in drug probe

Los Angeles Times

SAN DIEGO – Twenty-eight sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan have been implicated in an investigation into the alleged use and distribution of the designer drug “spice,” the Navy said Monday in San Diego.

Any sailor found guilty of using the drug will be booted out of the Navy, officials said.

Monday’s news follows the Navy’s announcement last month that 64 other sailors, including 49 assigned to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, had been caught using or distributing spice. The other 15 were assigned to the floating dry dock Arco or the nuclear submarine San Francisco.

Spice – a so-called fake marijuana – is made with synthetic cannabinoid compounds, some so potent that they have been declared illegal by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“The Navy’s policy on drug use is simple and clear: zero tolerance,” said Vice Adm. Gerald Beaman, commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet. “Drug abuse puts lives and missions at risk and undercuts unit readiness and morale.”