K2 Incense Information

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  • Synthetic drugs up for discussion

    Linn Creek, Mo. —

    Anyone interested in learning more about what law enforcement agents call “an emerging problem,” is invited to attend a community awareness program on two synthetic drugs, K2 incense and bath salts.

    “We are hoping to educate the community about this emerging problem and its implications and impacts to communities. There will be a short presentation and then a question and answer session with our resident drug expert,” Linn Creek Police Chief Trevor Dowdney said.

    Dowdney invited parents, grandparents, elected officials, church leaders, teachers, other law enforcement agents, medical professionals, and convenience store operators to the informational meeting.

    What K2 incense/bath salts community awareness program
    When Wednesday, June 29, 7 p.m.
    Where Camden County Museum, South Locust Street in Linn Creek (on the opposite side of Highway 54 from Route V)
    Who Linn Creek Police Department
    Info (573) 346-6200
    lcpd866@gmail.com

    Recent synthetic drug incidents in Camden County

    • Camden County deputies engaged in a pursuit with a driver who was high on bath salts.
    • EMTs treated two young males who had trouble breathing after smoking “spice.”
    • Camdenton police officers investigated the burglary of a smoke shop. The burglars caused nearly $1,000 to the building and stole K3 incense.
    • A man who mixed bath salts into a soft drink suddenly collapsed while Osage Beach police officers a vehicle parked behind a closed business. He was transported to the hospital.

    What is K2 incense, K3 incense, Spice?

    • synthetic form of marijuana created by spraying chemicals on a green, leafy plant material
    • affects of smoking spice are similar to the affect of smoking marijuana
    • chemical can be anywhere from 3-800 times as potent as organic marijuana
    • sometimes marketed as incense and can resemble potpourri
    • long term effects of use are not fully known
    • no reported deaths by overdose

    Bath salts

    • sold under different names, but generally mimic the effects of cocaine
    • when ingested, can cause panic, anxiety, depression, and paranoia
    • can elevate heart rate, cause tremors, hallucinations, and aggression

    lakenewsonline


  • Indiana Lab to Conduct More K2 Incense, Spice Tests

    INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –

    As Indiana is about to join more than a dozen states to ban the sale of K2 incense/Spice, AIT Laboratories becomes one of the first reference laboratories in the nation to offer

    urine testing for synthetic marijuana, most commonly known as K2/Spice. In February, the company also announced that it was offering blood testing for the two chemicals used to make herbal incense or “fake pot” products: JWH-018 and JWH-073. AIT, an employee-owned company, is an independent reference laboratory specializing in compliance monitoring, forensics, clinical, and pharmaceutical testing.

    AIT’s clients, who include medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, and physicians, have asked for this type of testing because of the growing problem nationwide. “Coroners are looking for evidence of what may have caused someone to die, while physicians prescribing pain medications to their patients will use our testing to determine that their patients are not mixing synthetic marijuana with their prescribed pain medications,” said AIT Toxicologist Kevin Shanks, who developed the testing.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved K2 incense/Spice, or any other type of incense, for human consumption. “The effects of using synthetic marijuana can be much more severe compared to THC, and the fact that it is still so readily available is even more of a concern,” said AIT Toxicologist Gene Schwilke, Ph.D. Synthetic marijuana can cause panic attacks, increased paranoia, increased agitation, respiratory issues, severely impaired motor skills, and inhibited cognitive function.

    “Developing the assays was a difficult process, but providing both matrices to clients may broaden the window of detecting exposure,” said Shanks.

     

    The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is currently using its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily control five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47, 497, and cannabicyclohexanol) used to make “fake pot” products. Except as authorized by law, this action will make possessing and selling these chemicals, or products that contain them, illegal in the U.S. for at least one year while the DEA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) further study whether these chemicals and products should be permanently controlled.

    To date, more than a dozen states have already taken action to control one or more of these chemicals and others are considering bills to outlaw the chemicals. The ban in Indiana takes effect on July 1, 2011.

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    About AIT Laboratories:

    AIT Laboratories, headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., is an independent reference laboratory that is a premiere testing and research institution recognized nationwide for superior customer service and quality in testing. AIT specializes in compliance testing, forensic toxicology drug testing, clinical laboratory testing, and pharmaceutical testing. The employee-owned company has been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the top 5,000 fastest-growing, private companies in the nation for four consecutive years. In 2009, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce named AIT as the “Small Business of The Year.” Learn more about AIT Laboratories at www.AITLabs.com and AIT Bioscience at www.AITBioscience.com. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

  • Compromise reached on bid to ban synthetic marijuana in Iowa

    It appears Iowa legislators may be poised to establish a state ban on the sale or possession of so-called “synthetic marijuana” sold under brand names like K2 incense and Spice.

    Iowans caught with the products would be guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor under provisions inserted into a budget bill Senator Tom Hancock has been working on.

    “We wanted this stuff off the shelves,” Hancock says. “We wanted to get rid of it.”

    So far this year the House and the Senate have voted to ban these products, but the sticking point has been the penalty.  The House had favored a felony, while the Senate’s voted to make it a misdemeanor to possess synthetic marijuana sold as incense or bath salts.

    “To make it a class D felony for a first offense we felt was a little strong,” Hancock says.

    Senator Hancock says under the language inserted in a budget bill, a first offense would be an aggravated misdemeanor, but those caught more than once either buying, manufacturing or possessing synethetic marijuna would face tougher penalties.