Last updated : May 19, 2025
Sometimes names can be misleading. If you’re talking motor oil, you reason that a synthetic version is created in a lab with a very specific ingredient list and under careful supervision. If you’re talking about synthetic marijuana, however, things are much different.
Many people are familiar with the kind of marijuana grown and cultivated, leaves and seeds separated, oils derived from hemp and the natural forms of the psychoactive drug being “legalized” for use in some form or another — either medically or for recreational use.
Synthetic marijuana, on the other hand, is truly a mixed bag. In simplest terms, it’s dried leaves with chemicals sprayed on them in order to mimic the effects of marijuana. There’s no one “standard” formula and as an illegal drug, not subject to any kind of health oversight at all. People who use synthetic marijuana are quite literally putting their lives in the hands of the person who sold it to them, but moreso the person who mixed up a batch of who-knows-what, sprayed it on who-knows-what, and packaged it for sale. It’s zero percent marijuana, but 100% dangerous.
To be fair, there’s quite a bit that can be done to illegally sold marijuana as well, but the increased legal means of sale means more oversight and accountability. It’s also a psychoactive drug simply by virtue of the plant’s chemical make-up and nothing “need” be done, whereas the synthetic will vary based on the chemicals themselves and the amounts used. People advertise stronger “strains” of marijuana, but all have the same effect (just to different degrees).
Marijuana’s effects
There is still debate on the medical effectiveness of marijuana on a variety of illnesses, but the properties that make it one of America’s most commonly abused illegal drugs tend to center on the mood altering and hallucinogenic properties. It can increase your appetite and heart rate, reduce your concentration and blood pressure and studies have even shown that long term use shrinks your brain. The leaves are smoked or turned into powders and seeds turned into oils. It’s eaten, turned into candy, and can be chewed.
Synthetic marijuana dangers
Synthetic marijuana goes by a number of names and considering how many different variations on the formulas there are, that seems to fit. K2, Spice, Blaze, Bliss, Black Mamba, Genie, Skunk or Moon Rocks — whatever it’s called, it can contain illegal substances or be a cocktail of legal chemicals that cause extremely dangerous reactions. Because it’s sometimes sold under what seems to be legal circumstances (labeled not for human consumption as a potpourri, for example) it can be difficult to keep new formulas out of the hands of potential abusers. Though there are laws prohibiting synthetic marijuana from being sold or used, the mixtures and formulas can change and the sales tactics may as well.
Something in common
Both marijuana and synthetic marijuana do share something. Each can be extremely dangerous to use. Though marijuana advocates boast that no one has died from an overdose caused by marijuana alone, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a contributing factor. Synthetic marijuana may claim it’s “natural” or be described as a “designer” drug, but don’t let the (sometimes) legal access to it fool you. Ingesting batch of chemicals, natural or not, is not a safe way of getting high.
