K-2 – outlawed in Texas – is still available on-line

Synthetic pot linked to 'Zombie' attacks

The smokable potpourri they call K-2 is nearing placement on the federal controlled substances list. The bill is on the O-man's desk, and the Facebook ads urge folks to take advantage of the 60% discount during the July 4^th blow-out sale.

Texas outlawed the stuff – which was available over the counter in convenience stores and head shops – back in April.

What is it?

Basically, it's a potpourri incense you can smoke – some herbal stuff that is coated with spices and certain chemical extracts that experts acknowledge are “cannabamimetic agents.”

In the recent past, more than 100 such agents have been detected - added, of course, by producers who are getting creative to sidestep the growing list of compounds that are precluded by law.

The problem? Who knows how it's going to affect people who are desperate enough to use something like that when they want to get high?

A series of “zombie” attacks have taken place since the laws tightened on the artifical marijuana that is available, most notable of which was the attack on a homeless Miami man in which a man under the influence tried to eat the flesh from his face.

And then – like a brick through the window - came the absolutely macabre man bites dog story out of Waco.

In the 100-plus degree weather of late June, Michael Terron Daniel crawled on his hands and knees and growled at people, according to witness statements.

Then he attacked the family dog, ripping into the animal's flesh with his teeth and consuming part of the pet's body.

When police arrived, they found Mr. Daniel on the porch, covered in blood and dog hair, the lifeless animal in his lap.

Authorities booked him for cruelty to an non-livestock animal.

The charge carries the penalty of a class A misdemeanor, unless the person so charged has been convicted at least twice before for cruelty to animals. It's usually reserved for cases of abandonment, dog fighting, or poisoning other peoples' pets.

Mr. Daniel is not unknown to authorities for violent offenses. At the time of his arrest for biting his dog, he was under a $5,000 surety bond, after Waco police arrested him 2011 for aggravated assault.

A judge moved promptly to revoke his bond as insufficient.

Said a substance treatment provider at the time Texas outlawed K-2 in April, “Hey, look, this stuff gets you high. It wouldn't be for sale and people wouldn't buy it if it didn't.”

The question is, how will it affect people when they use it. There is not much way to predict with any accuracy how it will affect users, since producers do not always use the same compounds in its production while trying to stay ahead of the drug cops and the growing list of compoounds that are illegal.

What became of Michael Terron Daniel?

He still languishes in the McLennan County Jail – on a hold order, with no bond set.

The most unusual – although chilling – aspect of his case was that following their investigation, officers left him there on the front porch with his family after responding to complaints that he had attacked and killed the dog – with his teeth.

When they came back the next morning, they arrested him without any further incident.

In the days that followed, a family member told newsmen, “People kind of look at us sideways now.”