Ocean City Police are releasing the names of three business owners cited with possession of salvia.
Police say Benjamin Lugasi of Ocean Wave, Sharon Cohen of Ocean Beachwear and Itzhak Algave of The Rave are the first to be charged since the town's ban on the hallucinogenic herb went into effect.
Ocean City's Town Council passed emergency legislation Aug. 3 to ban the hallucinogenic herb.
The next day, Algave says he told a detective on a compliance check that leftover packets would be returned to the distributor. That night, he was served with court papers charging him with salvia possession.
Algave says the town should have allowed merchants more time to get rid of their salvia before cracking down.
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Information from: The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md.,
http://www.delmarvanow.com(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
