Prevention specialists with the Ardmore Area Prevention Resource Center want area residents to be aware of the dangers associated with of a type of synthetic marijuana that is being sold as herbal incense.
The substance, which is a mixture of herbs spiked with psychoactive chemicals (synthetic cannobinoids), is known as K2 or Spice and is said to produce effects similar to those of marijuana when smoked.
Officials with National Institute for Drug Abuse said about 10 different synthetic cannobinoids have been detected in the products, usually in some combination.
Prevention Specialist Raye Shilen said the synthetic version is up to 10 times stronger than an equivalent amount of marijuana. And it is undetectable on a drug test.
K2 is available in convenience stores and smoke shops in some parts of Oklahoma and Texas and can be easily purchased online and mailed to a buyer’s home.
“We are finding more and more people are buying it online,” Prevention Specialist Sara Morgan said.
“Anyone with a computer and credit card can buy it,” Shilen said.
Under House Bill 3241, which was signed by Gov. Brad Henry earlier this year and takes effect in November, herbal blends that contain five of the synthetic cannobinoids, will be banned in the state. Although it is legal to possess the drugs until then, using any of the alternative forms of marijuana is not recommended.
“Just because you can buy it legally and it doesn’t show up in urinalysis, that doesn’t mean it’s safe,” Shilen said.
“Some people think it’s a safe alternative to street drugs, but it’s not. You have no way of knowing what you are getting.”
“Parents need to communicate the dangers to their children,” Morgan said.
The synthetic drugs have not been tested nor are they regulated. John W. Huffman, who invented one of the designer drugs, told WebMD that it’s like Russian roulette to use the marijuana substitutes.
“We don’t know a darn thing about them for real,” he said.
No one knows what the long-terms effects might be. And since these products are not regulated, there’s no way to know how large a dose a smoker is getting. Some of the reported side effects include anxiety, rapid heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, vomiting and hallucinations.
Shilen said the drugs’ makers and distributors are savvy businessmen who design and market their products to bypass state laws that were written with specific ingredients in mind. For example, what is packaged and marketed to Oklahoma residents may not be the same as what is targeted for the residents of another state.
The Gainesville, Texas, city council recently banned the sale of K2, joining a number of other north Texas communities that are attempting to regulate alternative forms of marijuana. So far, eight states have passed legislation to ban the drugs.
Steve Biehn
221-6546
