Last updated : December 16, 2024
The name is misleading—and so are the effects. It’s not a carefully created synthetic drug, tested in a lab and formulated according to strict guidelines. Synthetic marijuana is quite literally a mixed bag, with side effects that are being logged in our nation’s emergency rooms and have life threatening consequences. According to the CDC, adverse health effects related to synthetic cannabinoid use increased 330% between January and May of 2015. The majority of the users are males and of that increase, over 11% had a life threatening reaction to this “herbal mix” and in spite of this, many are repeat users.
What is synthetic marijuana?
It goes by many names—spice, K2, black mamba, crazy clown—and there are so many “recipes” that a different name is probably necessary for each batch. It is a bag of “herbs” that have been sprayed with chemicals supposed to mimic the effects of THC, but anything can be sprayed on whatever happens to be mixed together to serve as the delivery, which could also be anything. There is no standard chemical makeup of the sprays and since it’s illegal in many countries, there is no homogenization of the batches created, even if sold in fancy packaging. One mixture might contain completely legal, but extremely dangerous chemical compounds. Another might contain nothing but garden herbs with a chemical spray that includes an extremely addictive and psychoactive substance. The mixtures of chemicals and herbs don’t just vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It might vary from day to day based on what the manufacturer has on hand.
Why is synthetic marijuana a popular choice?
Many believe that natural marijuana is not addictive, so they hear “synthetic marijuana” and think they’re getting the same substance, getting the high and perhaps even having additional benefits since synthetic might make it sound cleaner, as if this were comparing brands of motor oil. The truth is that the chemical makeup can lead to a more powerful effect and if any one chemical used happens to be addictive, then the entire product becomes addictive. Many believe that since this form of “fake weed” has been available legally in the past or in some locations that it must mean it’s safe—safer even than “natural” pot. Others simply ignore the evidence in favor of the illicit and powerfully addictive high.
Why is synthetic marijuana a poor choice?
Mixing chemicals isn’t something for amateur chemists. The random nature of formulations makes for a dangerous health roulette, but even if a person finds a “safer brand”, there is no guarantee and no oversight as there is in prescription drugs or our food sales. Effects of synthetic marijuana are as varied as the chemicals and whatever the chemical might have been sprayed upon—hallucinations, paranoia, extreme anxiety, high blood pressure and seizures, just to name a few.
Even marijuana advocates admit marijuana is addictive to some people, though the actual percentage varies depending on the source. When you factor in unregulated chemicals, whether or not any actual marijuana is being used in the mixtures is almost irrelevant to the question of addiction. According to an addiction support site for spice users, the withdrawal symptoms include physical ones, creating the need to remain on the drug instead of suffering from the possibility of uncontrollable vomiting, psychotic episodes, loss of appetite, extreme sweating and other symptoms. While manufacturers of “synthetic marijuana” have found ways to skirt laws, the effects of the chemicals are not simply additive. The way those chemicals react with each other and the human body far too often lead to addiction.
