Last updated : November 11, 2024
Each decade a new and dangerous drug makes its way into the underground drug trade and law enforcement, parents, and anyone who might have addictive tendencies witnesses the devastation that drug addiction can bring. One of the newest drugs to hit the streets isn’t so hidden from view, however, and synthetic marijuana represents a dangerous new trend in readily available and highly addictive substances.
Already the drug has started to destroy lives and create havoc on teenage populations from the comfort of a store shelf where it is easily purchased in establishments like gas stations and convenience stores under names like “potpourri.” The ease with which this drug is obtained has seen it grow in popularity across generations and social strata, with the drug impacting workers in all industries and kids in every school across the nation.Also known as “spice” and “K2,” synthetic cannabis is a type of herbal mixture that is infused with various chemicals designed to make the user feel high, just like real weed. Sellers of the fake mixture will often label it as incense and suggest that it is entirely legal and not dangerous. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.In 2012, a report was commissioned by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and revealed that synthetic drugs were responsible for a substantial number of hospital visits during the time examined by the study. Interestingly, the average age of an admitted person for actual weed was 30 while synthetic versions saw admittances with an average age of 24.
One of the only ways that schools and workplaces can fight against the growing tide of synthetic use is to look at random drug testing. Talking with people who are susceptible to synthetic marijuana abuse doesn’t always have the intended effect of making teenagers stop their habit, or forcing individuals in workplaces to arrive at their job in a drug-free state.
One of the biggest problems that work places and schools face regarding “herbal buds,” as they are sometimes known, is that no law exists so far to ban the most common versions. Although some states have enacted legislation to reduce sales or even prohibit establishments from selling the fake weed, such efforts have been haphazard at best and haven’t reduced the growth in popularity of fake weed.
One of the chemical ingredients in a particular type of synthetic was actually banned as a controlled substance in the United States due to its close molecular structure to THC, which is the active ingredient in real cannabis. Manufacturers of fake weed could only sell this version in Europe, and so they decided to change the chemical makeup of their product so as to get around laws in the United States.
No scientific studies as of yet have measured the full impact of synthetic weed on the body, but significant concern has erupted from a variety of groups regarding the potential danger of this drug. The weed may be fake, but the effects and mind altering state into which the drug places a user could be potentially dangerous. These new chemicals used in the American versions of fake weed have no safety protocols.
Some of the stories told by people who have taken synthetic cannabis and lived to tell about it have ranged from destructive migraines to organ failure. Side effects witnessed by medical professionals who have treated users of synthetic drugs have included such issues as hallucinations, mood changes, bloodshot eyes, and severe agitation.
Some doctors have suggested that the potential for strokes in individuals with high blood pressure could be increased dramatically through the use of “spice” or “K2” and have warned against it. Unfortunately, the problem of synthetic weed is one that has stayed off the radar of any serious health initiative and has remained a side issue while problems of real weed and hard drugs like heroin have been the top story.
Such side effects would mean a person was not in a suitable frame of mind for any workplace. As long as synthetic versions of marijuana remain legal in the United States, it will be necessary for companies to consider testing their employees. Such testing will allow companies to maintain a workforce that is able to perform their jobs in an appropriate manner.
