WATERTOWN -- The owner of the Tebb's Head Shops chain remains at the center of the state's fight against synthetic drugs, as a State Supreme Court Justice issued a ruling against selling mislabeled drugs.
The decision made Monday by Supreme Court Justice James McClusky holds John Tebbetts III responsible for selling deceptively labeled products, while saying they were not to be consumed. The judge said in his ruling,"The evidence is clear that these items were marketed and sold for human consumption not withstanding labeling that indicated it was not for human consumption,"
State Attorney General Schneiderman issued a statement Tuesday saying "The judge's order proves that, by taking a creative approach in using the state's existing labeling laws, we can get swift results to remove dangerous drugs from store shelves and hold sellers accountable for breaking the law." The ruling today was part of a case the Attorney General brought against 12 head shop owners including the owner of Tebbs's head shop.
In a separate case against Tebbetts, he pleaded guilty back in December to various charges related to the illegal distribution of synthetic marijuana and bath salts.
As part of his plea, he admitted ownership of several Tebb's Head Shops in Central New York and Maine, including two in the city of Syracuse and one in Oneida. Tebbetts also admitted using a warehouse on East Dominic Street in Rome to store the drugs.
The decision this week permanently bans the sale of mislabeled and unapproved drugs. Labeling laws in New York State require packaging to at least identify the manufacturer, the manufacturing location, the distributor, the product name, and the quantity of it's contents and servings. It must also include directions and warnings for use.
The ruling requires Tebbetts to submit an account for everything he sold between January 1st and August 1st of last year. The judge will then determine his fine during a February 20th court hearing.
