More Teens Turn to Synthetic Marijuana!
In Portland, Oregon, doctors are said to be noticing an increase in teenagers who exhibit symptoms of seizures and agitation. These symptoms, according to a feature on KGW.com, are being caused by the popularity of synthetic marijuana.
Spice or K2 is being sold as a legal alternative to marijuana and is becoming increasingly popular in Oregon and Washington; it is not detected in drug tests. K2 user Alex, last name withheld, shares his experience with K2: “It’s a mental euphoria. In about two minutes, you get to feel the effects and you have a smile on your face.”
The key ingredient in Spice is JWH-018, a chemical that provides the same effect as pot.
Pete Schulberg of the Oregon Partnership shares: “You don’t want to be smoking this stuff. What people are getting high on has nothing do with the herb. It’s the chemical that is sprayed on the herb. It makes it very dangerous.” He says further that the government should declare the substance as a public hazard.
Dr. Zane Horowitz, executive director of the Oregon Poison Center, reports that they have observed teens in emergency rooms who are agitated, have high blood pressure or had seizures. The symptoms mimic that of methamphetamine more than marijuana.
KGW went undercover to see the popularity of K2 for themselves, and they found a bottle of spice that read: “not for human consumption.”
Tags: k2 marijuana, spice marijuana, synthetic marijuana, synthetic pot
