Last updated : November 11, 2024
They’re sold discreetly in convenience stores and labeled as natural products. Sporting cute, innocent-sounding names like K2, Spice, Moon Rocks and Mr. Happy, synthetic marijuana has become disturbingly popular among teens and young adults who assume they are harmless. Often referred to as fake weed or incense, the typical synthetic marijuana product looks similar to potpourri. Its appearance fuels the perception that it’s an all-natural way to obtain the same high produced by cannabis, but looks are deceiving; the consequences of using it can be devastating. Clever packaging teases potential users. Most labels carry a disclaimer stating that the product is not intended for human consumption, but the public is expected to understand that this is simply a way to keep the products legal. Users typically smoke the material to get high, but it can also be made into a drinkable tea. The misconception that it’s harmless, and the fact that it’s difficult to detect using standard drug tests has made synthetic marijuana second only to real cannabis in popularity among American high school students.
There’s Nothing Natural About a Synthetic High
If you open a package of Spice or K2, the contents look like a benign mass of plant matter. In fact, the plants themselves probably are harmless, but they’re not the source of the product’s effects. The real active ingredients are synthetic cannabinoid compounds that are infused into the plants by soaking or spraying. Five of the chemicals most commonly found in these products have been designated Schedule I controlled substances; this means that it’s illegal to possess, buy or sell them. However, synthetic marijuana producers perpetually outsmart the authorities by simply changing the ingredients and including new chemicals that produce similar effects.
How Does Synthetic Marijuana Affect the User?
Because there is no standardized product formula, synthetic marijuana users may experience unpredictable effects after using the drugs. Many report mood changes, altered perception and deep relaxation similar to the effects of natural cannabis, but others have become paranoid or anxious. Some have even reported hallucinations. Because there are no scientific trials or studies to reference, authorities have little knowledge of how these drugs affect the brain, but it is known that they act on the same cell receptors as THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana. Some of the chemicals seem to attach to receptors more strongly, so more dramatic effects are likely. The vast majority of synthetic marijuana users are completely unaware that they’re introducing untested, unstudied and potentially dangerous chemicals into their bodies.
Dangerous and Disturbing Side Effects
It’s possible to experience withdrawal from synthetic marijuana, but reports from Poison Control Center medical staff reveal far more ominous effects following use. Treated patients have experienced a number of serious complications such as strokes, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, psychosis, violent hallucinations, seizures, tremor, organ damage and gastric problems. In a single year, authorities documented 11,400 emergency room visits due to synthetic marijuana use. In some cases, permanent or life-threatening effects have occurred. Notably tragic examples include the following.
- In 2013, 16 male patients in six states suffered severe kidney damage after smoking synthetic marijuana. Five of them required dialysis treatment.
- A 17-year-old girl named Emily Bauer smoked a Kush product with friends and developed a migraine headache. Soon afterward, she suffered violent hallucinations and a series of strokes due to the drug causing constriction of blood vessels in her brain. After treatment complications, she was left partially paralyzed, blind and brain-damaged.
- After smoking synthetic marijuana, 15-year-old Kyle Smith of Maryland had a psychotic break. He has since been admitted for psychiatric treatment 17 times and has tried to kill himself at least three times.
- Three male teens in Texas experienced heart attacks after smoking synthetic marijuana products.
Spread Knowledge and Save Lives
Authorities are struggling to monitor and control the underground production of K2, Spice and its many cousins. Given the dangerous outcomes of using these so-called natural alternatives to marijuana, it’s important to educate teens and young adults about their dangers before more lives are destroyed or forever altered.
