Monday, April 20, 2015

Synthetic Marijuana is NOT the Real Deal

The inaccessibility to cannabis has led to synthetic marijuana. These man-made drugs try to mimic THC. Synthetic marijuana is also known K2, Spice or Synthetic cannabinoids. This new recreational drug is increasingly becoming a public health problem for its side effects and unpredictable nature.

Demand for the high that marijuana gives has led to a demand for synthetic marijuana. Cannabis can be inaccessible due to the price and regulation of the medicine. Synthetic marijuana can be made far cheaper than growing the cannabis plant. The product is disguised as “herbal incense” or “potpourri” with labels that read “Not for Human Consumption” to evade regulation by the FDA.

Synthetic marijuana has harmful side effects. It can cause anxiety, elevated blood pressure, agitation, vomiting, racing heart, hallucinations, tremors, seizures, and suicidal thoughts. It is usually sprayed on plants to make it look like marijuana. Though it binds to the CB1 receptor like cannabis, it can be 100 or more times more potent leading to a dangerous outcome. An example is like drinking a glass of water vs. drinking 10 gallons. A glass is healthy, where as too much can be deadly.(Source)

In 2010 there were 11,000 emergency room visits due to synthetic marijuana.(Source) Two years later the ER visits jumped to 17,000 and continue rising exponentially. Marijuana in the natural form has caused no deaths.(Source) Synthetic marijuana has caused heart attacks, suicide and aggressive behavior.(Source) The legalization for marijuana in it's natural form can give a safe alternative to dangerous synthetic designer drugs.

Source:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/11/18/what-is-synthetic-pot-and-whys-it-causing-heart-attacks-in-teenagers/#.VTPIRpODCM8

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