The Wisconsin departments of justice and consumer protection sued two Milwaukee retail stores Tuesday for selling designer drugs — specifically synthetic THC with such names as "Spice" and "Kush" — in violation of a state law prohibiting fraudulent drug advertising.

The synthetic cannabinoids are similar to THC, the main psychotropic compound in marijuana, but they have slightly different chemical makeups that make them unpredictable and dangerous, according to the lawsuits.

"I will not tolerate any drug dealer putting our communities at risk," Attorney General Brad Schimel said in a statement. "We work hard to bring all illicit drug dealers to justice, whether their retail venue is on the street or at a store."

The lawsuits ask a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge to block the two stores — Atomic Glass, 1813 E. Locust St., and Food Town Mini Mart, 4790 N. Hopkins St. — from selling the synthetic THC products.

The lawsuits seek penalties of up to $200 for every package of fraudulently labeled drugs that were sold at the two stores.

The products were mislabeled as incense and potpourri but were intended for consumption, according to the lawsuits. The product packages do not warn buyers of what is really in them, exposing users and others to risk of injury, law enforcement and consumer protection officials said in a statement.

Package contents include vegetation sprayed with synthetic THC, according to the lawsuits. Other package names for the products include "Dank," "Joker," "Scooby Snax," "Diablo," "Wanted," "Caution," "Geeked Up" and "WTF."

"The packaging for "Scooby Snax" depicts a cartoon dog similar to the trademarked Hanna-Barbera character with a protruding tongue and eyes crossed in a manner suggesting advanced intoxication," according to the lawsuit against Atomic Glass.

In September 2010, Atomic Glass owner David Kelly told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the store sold at least 10 packages of the synthetic cannabinoids each day. The newspaper story is quoted in the lawsuit against that store.

At Food Town, an undercover drug enforcement officer purchased seven packages of the synthetic THC products as recently as January.

Food Town does not display the products but keeps them inside a black bag behind the counter and in storage in a back room so that customers must request them by using slang terms, according to the lawsuit.

A customer can request a "small" package, at a cost of $15, or a "large" package, at a cost of $30, the lawsuit says.

Attempts to contact Kelly, a Eugene, Ore., resident, and Faraj Jaber, owner of Food Town, were not successful. Calls to both stores went unanswered.

Synthetic cannabinoids on the state list of controlled substances are subject to criminal prohibition, officials said.

"Wisconsin and much of the United States has been awash in hundreds of new and dangerous psychoactive drugs, putting our youth at risk," U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent in Charge Robert Bell said in a statement. "This action holds accountable those who have targeted our kids for profit."