Twenty states across the country have legalized marijuana in one form or another, and last week an entire country declared it legal 鈥� Uruguay in South America. Meanwhile, 45 states and the U.S. government are moving in the opposite direction when it comes to what鈥檚 known as 鈥渟ynthetic marijuana,鈥� or 鈥淪pice鈥� or 鈥淜2.鈥� It鈥檚 a chemical mixture applied to harmless plants, dried and smoked.
Toxicologist of explains what the chemical concoction is and the health risks associated with it.
What is it?
Synthetic marijuana, Spice, or K2, are all created synthetically in a laboratory. These herbal mixtures are online and in stores.
The mixtures are not made from marijuana, Dr. Kleinschmidt explains the reason they are sometimes referred to as 鈥渟ynthetic marijuana鈥� is because the mixtures effect and stimulate the same receptors in our brain and body as does THC, the main ingredient in marijuana.
What are the health risks?
Unlike marijuana, there are serious health concerns associated with synthetic cannabinoids, according to Dr. Kelienschmidt. In 2011, suffered heart attacks after smoking synthetic cannabinoids.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of folks presenting to emergency rooms with complications because of these agents, he says. 鈥淎nd more and more case reports keep coming out suggesting that these are causing all sorts of problems.鈥�
Among the :
- Agitation
- Combativeness
- Hard time breathing
- Rapid pulse rate
- Fast and irregular heart beat
Is synthetic marijuana legal?
This is a complicated question. In 2011, that attempted to outlaw synthetic marijuana. The ban made it illegal to manufacture, produce, distribute, sell or possess 140 different chemical substances that can be used to make the drug. The thing is, new products with slightly altered chemical substances can . There are hundreds of such products, Dr. Kleinschmidt says, and law enforcement agencies have trouble distinguishing between legal and illegal substances.
