Teen narrowly escapes death after smoking synthetic marijuana
I recommend people not smoke synthetic marijuana. It's a good thing some states have recently legalised the real stuff. Here in Massachusetts it has become decriminalised. If you're caught in public with less than an ounce, you get the equivalent of a speeding ticket. That is progress. (end of update 02/04/13)
That's what K2 Spice looks like. I never heard of it until a few days ago. It's some form of synthetic marijuana. It gets you buzzed same as the real thing but is sold legally in head shops and gas stations.
Looking around it appears anyone taking it is running the risk of experiencing a severe panic attack, heart troubles, or rapidly growing body hair then attacking stray dogs for a meal.
It's sold with the wink wink attitude of not being for human consumption. That it's incense. The problem is there's no way to know what's in it. One could be playing roulette and end up with a bad batch.
Another problem is that this isn't your grandmom's weed. Apparently it is up to 100 times stronger. Hence one toke can be the equivalent of a Cheech and Chong fattie.
I believe it is marketed to three different types of users. Primarily it seems to be a good alternative for weed smokers who have to submit to drug tests. It doesn't show up as cannabis. There are also those who for whatever reasons cannot find a pot dealer. Then there are those crazy teenagers who will try anything.
Law enforcement and others are pushing for it to be criminalised. They have had some success. The problem is that by doing so, they are simply asking manufacturers to come up with other alternatives with ingredients even less known than what goes into spice.
There's no way people are buying it as incense. I suspect consumers should be very careful when smoking it. They should make sure it's not a "bad batch" or overdo it. While it's impossible for anyone to overdose on marijuana, it is less clear what is truly up with spice weed.
Here's the obvious solution. Legalise marijuana and even this stuff. I'm not talking decriminalise. I'm saying make pot completely legal. Then it can be regulated. Jobs can be created. People can then know exactly what they're buying. Revenue can go back into the economy and help pay for national health care, new schools, fixing potholes, etc.. If that coincided with major cuts in the Military Industrial Complex, there'd be plenty of money to create the kind of utopia leftier than thous envision. All we are saying is give weed a chance.
