Academy expels 3 more mids for ‘spice’ use - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Academy expels 3 more mids for ‘spice’ use

The Naval Academy on Tuesday expelled three more midshipmen for the use or peddling of “spice,” a marijuana-like synthetic drug, after a wide-ranging investigation begun last fall, the school’s spokesman said in a statement Thursday.

That brings the total number of mids ousted for spice to 11, with seven expelled in January and one kicked out in February.

The three former midshipmen were all male sophomores, academy spokeswoman Deborah Goode wrote in an e-mail. She declined to go into any more details, citing privacy concerns.

“These recent separations are not reflective of the Brigade of Midshipmen as the vast majority uphold the highest standards of personal and professional conduct,” academy spokesman Cmdr. Joe Carpenter said in the statement.

Carpenter said the service academy is taking aggressive measures to investigate spice usage, including monitoring midshipmen for visiting websites where the drugs are sold, and more inspections in Bancroft Hall, the school’s sprawling dormitory. In addition, the administration is conducting more outreach. The academy’s superintendent, Vice Adm. Michael Miller, has repeatedly addressed spice usage in speeches to the Brigade, as well as engagement at all rungs of the midshipmen’s chain of command.

The investigation is ongoing, Carpenter said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration on March 1 banned spice and other “fake pot” products for one year under its emergency powers, an action “necessary to prevent an imminent threat to public health and safety,” according to a DEA press release.