Navy Battles "Spice" Scourge

In the wake of several recent drug busts of Navy personnel, the Navy announced a new service-wide substance abuse prevention campaign Wednesday. Entitled “Who Will Stand Your Watch?”, it aims to show sailors the negative effects of substance abuse, particularly how it might affect their loved ones. The PSA spots show actual sailors in the workplace and highlight the importance of their work and presence. “Substance abuse puts lives and missions at risk, and undercuts unit readiness and morale. Preventing substance abuse rather than dealing with the consequences benefits everyone,” says Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Director Dorice Favorite. According to the Navy, the use of the synthetic marijuana-mimicking drug known as “spice” is a growing problem. Last February, 16 carrier crew members were discharged for dealing or using spice, while a further 64 sailors were busted for the same reason last October. Yet another 28 sailors were caught in another spice sting in November. The DEA declared an emergency ban on spice last March, but hundreds of new variants of the drug have surfaced since then.