Crowd gathers for court hearing on fate of Duluth head shop

Supporters and detractors of The Last Place on Earth head shop in Duluth gathered in a Duluth courtroom Friday as a judge heard arguments on whether the business should be shut down, the Duluth News Tribune reported.

A lively crowd of about 80 people -- made up of the shop's customers, and chamber of commerce business owners -- showed up for the hearing. The City of Duluth is claiming the shop is a public nuisance and wants the shop shut down.

Judge Shaun Floerke held off a decision to either ban the sale of synthetic drugs at the store -- or temporarily close the store with an injunction -- until attorneys on both sides present more evidence or file additional legal briefs, the News Tribune reported.

At the hearing was Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson, who last month sued the federal Drug Enforcement Agency over a raid of the store in July.