There’s a dangerous drug on the streets. It’s legal and easy to obtain. Known as K2, Spice, and incense aromas- synthetic marijuana can be purchased at most paraphernalia shops in Canada. The substance is made up of chemicals designed to mimic the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, synthetic marijuana has been associated with seizures, irregular heartbeat, panic attacks, agitation, hallucinations and a few cases resulting in death. In the US, in 2011, 11,406 emergency room visits were reported in connection with synthetic cannabinoid use.
One man, who told Lethbridge Campus Media he did not want to be identified, tried synthetic marijuana at a party. “I had been drinking a bit, and one of the people at the party had some, so I figured I would try it,” he said. He explains how he was curious to find out what it was like. He explains that he has smoked natural marijuana before and always enjoyed it. He did not have the same experience with the synthetic drug. “I went from having a great night with some friends to feeling absolutely nauseous, paranoid and uncomfortable,” he said. “I had to stop hanging out with my friends and go to bed.” He says he will never do it again because the experience was so bad. “It’s hard to believe something like that is legal, yet natural marijuana is not. It boggles my mind,” he said.
It is difficult for officials to regulate synthetic marijuana because the chemicals in them are continually altered. When one chemical is deemed illegal, it is replaced with another chemical that has not been banned. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “manufacturers try to sidestep these laws by changing the chemical formulas in their mixtures.” NIDA also states that because the substance cannot be regulated, chemical compounds can change from batch to batch resulting in unpredictable effects.
Because the substances contained in this drug are not illegal, law enforcement has a difficult time taking it off the streets. Lethbridge RCMP officer, CPL Bryan Mucha, has 20 years of service and explains synthetic marijuana is not something for them that’s easy to identify. “From a street perspective, I’ve never come across anything like that that we would have seized or knew that it was synthetic marijuana,” he said. Due to the fact that it is not a controlled substance, he says it is difficult to monitor. “It’s one of those things that lands in a grey area,” said Mucha.
For more information about the dangers of synthetic marijuana or synthetic drugs, you can visit drugabuse.org
