DENVER (Legal Newsline) - The owner of an Aurora, Colo., market has agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement for allegedly selling a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as spice, state Attorney General-elect Cynthia Coffman said on Tuesday.
Rahmatollah Ghamari, owner of Paymon's Market, allegedly was selling spice products containing labels that said they were legal and cannabinoid-free, which is illegal under the Colorado Protection Act.
“This settlement is another positive step in our effort to stop the open sale of ‘spice’ in Colorado stores,” Coffman said. “It is important that the public continue to be educated on the fact that these products are both illegal and extremely dangerous.”
Following an undercover operation by the Colorado Department of Revenue and the Aurora Police Department, 1,181 containers of spice were confiscated from Ghamari's store. The products were labeled Crazy Monkey, Mad Monkey, Sexy Monkey and iBlown, Coffman said.
Ghamari will pay $15,000 up front, followed by an additional $15,000 over four years, since he is unable to pay the full amount of the settlement.
While natural cannabis products are legal in Colorado, synthetic cannbinoids are illegal and have been linked to numerous emergency room visits and three deaths in the state.