A new study on synthetic marijuana states that products like K2 incense and Spice are sending more teens and young adults to the hospital, some in a catatonic state.
The study, published in the March 19 issue of Pediatrics, also says there were 4,500 calls made to poison control centers in 2010 and 2011 about the effects of fake pot.
This past February, two teens were taken from Westfield SouthPark mall to the hospital after they reportedly overdosed on a synthetic marijuana product.
In April of 2011, a teenage girl told paramedics she felt like she was “dead and in a dream” after smoking fake pot.
Owners of a local store were charged with aggravated drug trafficking after chemical analysis showed that they were selling products that contained banned chemicals used in synthetic marijuana.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration banned the five chemicals found in synthetic marijuana in early 2011 last year, citing health concerns about the side effects and growing reports from emergency rooms about convulsions, shortness of breath, anxiety attacks, nausea/vomiting, elevated heart rates, seizures, prolonged migranes, disorientation and high rates of addiction.
However, new substances with similar chemicals quickly replaced the old brands to circumvent the specific bans. “When the DEA banned those five chemicals, the people who make this stuff were already geared up to replace it,” Police Chief Charles Goss told Strongsville Patch. “They never missed a beat in having new stock ready.”
A common misconception that synthetic marijuana products do not show up in drug tests, however as time passes more and more diagnostic companies are producing synthetic marijuana drug testing kits that test for these substances, with a similar accuracy to drug tests for marijuana.
However, this also means that when someone goes to the hospital after overdosing on synthetic marijuana, it is more difficult for emergency room physicians to detect and offer proper treatment. According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, as little as 1 milligram (1 1,000 of a gram) of synthetic marijuana can be intoxicating, the new study found.
The blend is then sprayed with chemicals that render it toxic.
Unlike marijuana, where the plant itself causes a high, it’s the chemicals in K2 incense and other synthetic marijuana products that creates a high when smoked.
Linndale police last month raided Twilight Boutique near Strongsville, Ohio, after a test showed a product purchased there contained an analog of a chemical banned by the DEA.
Authorities confiscated 586 packets of herbal incense. Charges were filed against the store owners last week after new tests showed the other packs also contained illegal chemicals.
Maryland doctors warn of the dangers of synthetic marijuana, particularly in Howard county.
Dr. David Monroe outlined two specific, recent incidents in which synthetic marijuana played a role in emergency room visits. The first incident he logged, involved a teenager who was vomiting every ten minutes after smoking synthetic marijuana in a high school bathroom.
In a separate incident, Another teenager was taken to the emergency room after threatening to kill himself after smoking synthetic marijuana. The teen’s parents contacted police, which in turn took him to the hospital for treatment. Dr. Monroe stated that these incidents are just the ‘tip of the ice berg” when referring to synthetic marijuana related cases. Maryland itself doesn’t have any current laws banning synthetic marijuana on the books, however there are federal laws banning such substances.
Michigan sees uptick in synthetic marijuana abuse reports
Michigan police and doctors as well are all on the same page when it comes to synthetic marijuana products, such as K2 incense and spice. These potpourri-like substances have been responsible for may emergency room visits in recent years and months.
Unwitting users don’t realize that there are many different compounds in use in synthetic marijuana, and he doses of these compounds vary extremely from packet to packet.
The list of side effects for these products also extends well beyond the scope of real marijuana, including seizures, heart palpitations, and temporary blindness.
Another popular misconception is that synthetic marijuana does not show in drug tests, however laboratories are scrambling to make these kits available to the public at a reasonable cost. K2info.org has available several synthetic marijuana drug testing kits available for sale, if you suspect your teen is consuming such products.
(Reuters) – Another midshipman was expelled from the U.S. Naval Academy for using or having a banned marijuana-like substance known as “spice,” bringing the total number expelled to 12, officials said.
In January and February, 11 students were expelled as a part of an ongoing investigation into the violation of the Naval Academy’s zero tolerance policy regarding illicit drug use or possession.
The Texas Senate Thursday passed a billl outlawingK2 incense, which made Wichita Falls prosecutor John Gillespie happy.
In December of 2010 Gillespie exhorted lawmakers to make the synthetic marihuana illegal while at the same time vowing to prosecute anyone who drove impaired while under the influence of K2 incense.
The fake pot has emerged as a major catalyst of tragedy for teen-agers in Wichita Falls, Texas, as well as in other cities across the Lone Star State. K2 incense has been especially popular among teenagers in Texas.
(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – You can add another southeast Indiana community to the list of those which will no longer allow the sale of Spice. Lawrenceburg City Council voted this week to pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale of substances containing synthetic cannabinoids. The Lawrenceburg ordinance also outlaws the use of the substances in public places.
“One of my friends couldn’t function for like 30 seconds; like she couldn’t talk,” said Laura, 22, about a designer drug most commonly known as K2 incense.
For those who seek a marijuana-like high legally, synthetic marijuana has been an option since the early 2000s. A mysterious substance packaged with little description in head shops, disguised as incense, called “K2”, Spice, Red X Dawn, or a variety of others, is no longer slipping under the radar, as of March 1.
HOUSTON (KTRK) — Synthetic marijuana has been banned in communities across the country and now the state of Texas is taking a hard stance against it. Synthetic marijuana has been banned in communities across the country and now the state of Texas is taking a hard stance against it. The Texas Department of State Health Services has now classified K2 incense, Spice, and other synthetic marijuana products as a controlled substance — making it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess and sell the substance. Effective April 22, it will be a class A or B misdemeanor.
The Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday that it is outlawing marijuanalike substances commonly found in K2 incense, Spice, “herbal incense” and other synthetic marijuana products. The ban takes effect Friday.
It will be illegal to make, distribute, possess or sell those substances. Penalties are Class A or B misdemeanors, according to a news release posted on the health department’s website.
The action follows the lead of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which prohibited the substances March 2, health department spokeswoman Christine Mann said. State law requires the health department to consider banning any substances the DEA has forbidden, she said.
Starting Friday, the Department of State Health Services says it is outlawing all marijuana-like substances.
Under a new ban set to take effect, it will be illegal to make, distribute, possess or sell K2 incense, Spice, Herbal Incense, and other synthetic marijuana products.
Penalties will be Class A or B misdemeanors.
The action follows the lead of the Drug Enforcement Administration which prohibited the substances back in March.
Amarillo, Texas – Today begins the ban in Texas on several synthetic marijuana-like substances found in products like K2 incense, also known as Spice. The Texas Department of State Health Services is making it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess, or sell the five banned compounds.
It’s marketed as an herbal incense and produces similar effects as smoking marijuana. It’s easy to find and cheap to buy. Smoke shops, gas stations, and the Internet sell it for as little as $10 a gram.
Synthetic marijuana products known as K2 incense or Spice have been outlawed in Texas, state health officials said.The ban became effective April 22 after officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services placed five synthetic cannabinoids under a controlled substances category, which makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess and sell the substances.
K2 incense or Spice is sometimes marketed as herbal incense at smoke shops, gas stations and the Internet, and produce effects similar to those of marijuana.
Penalties range from a $2,000 to $4,000 fine and jail terms between 180 days to a year, officials said.
Until this school year, a freshman, who wishes to remain anonymous, thought of incense as something that simply smells good. So, when her friends asked her if she wanted to smoke it with them, she was a bit caught off-guard.
“I was like … ‘Is this legit? Is this what you’re supposed to do with it? Or is this just something you came up with on your own?’” she said.
The synthetic cannabinoid, which goes by several names, including “Spice,” “K2 incense” and “Genie,” is ultimately intended for consumption, said Chris McHenry, a Sacred Heart Emergency Room registered nurse.
The DEA’s campaign to ban Spice and K2 incense products received a boost from the San Diego Naval Medical Center, which reports 15 sailors were hospitalized after smoking synthetic pot last year. But Dr. Julie Holland tells CelebStoner, “There’s nothing really new here.”
The Med Center claims Spice and K2 incense cause paranoia, confusion and hallucinations, and that the side effects can continue for several days.
Stoners like to celebrate their “national pot day” annually on April 20 — based on the notion that police in California used 4-20 as a numeric code decades ago to indicate they were busting marijuana dealers and users. But last week, the State of Texas celebrated April 20 in a different way: The Texas Department of State Health Services chose that day to announce that, by agency policy, it is banning five of the many chemical compounds that are used to create “fake pot.” The ban took effect two days later.
