Are People Really Getting High Off of ‘Catnip Cocktail’?

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First, it was jenkem. Then it was bath salts. Now, the latest drug that parents are freaking out about is a mood enhancer for cats and dogs.

Last week, the Fairfield Police Department in northern New Jersey issued a statement on Facebook warning people to avoid recreational use of Catnip Cocktail, a product that is intended to be used as an anti-anxiety supplement for pets. The post was prompted by a raid on Nutrition Zone, a vitamin and supplement store, earlier this month, during which the FPD seized 61 bottles of Catnip Cocktail (which were not displayed in the open or advertised by the store), as well as 28 bottles of human growth hormone (HGH) and seven hand gun and rifle magazines.

The owner of the store, John Sicico, 48, was arrested and slapped with numerous charges, including three counts of third-degree possession of a Schedule I drug. According to Lt. Det. Charles Zampino of the FPD, he was transported to Essex County Jail to await his appearance in court.

According to a post on the Fairfield Police Department’s Facebook page, the police first became aware that Catnip Cocktail was being abused when officers were called to a local strip mall in July 2018 “to investigate an individual who was dancing, yelling and generally acting abnormally in front of a hair salon.” The man was arrested and found with six bottles of Catnip Cocktail on his person. Receipts indicated that the Catnip Cocktails had been purchased from Nutrition Zone, a health-food store in the strip mall where he was arrested.

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