DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)—Police say some young Iowans are yielding to a new trend by smoking an incense that looks similar to charcoal because it’s being marketed as opium.
The incense is sold as "synthetic opium" and can be bought over the Internet. Users put the substance on the ends of cigarettes before lighting up.
Des Moines police Sgt. Mark Buzynski said investigators initially confiscated the incense when they found it. Samples sent to the state crime lab showed no sign of an illegal substance.
Investigators say it is not known what effect, if any, the incense has on people who smoke it.
