Synthetic cannabis
Synthetic cannabis, often referred to by names like spice, K2, or fake pot, is a designer drug that mimics some effects of marijuana but has a fundamentally different chemical structure. First synthesized in the late 1990s by Professor John W. Huffman for research purposes, synthetic cannabis has since become commercially available, marketed as a legal alternative to marijuana. Despite its marijuana-like appearance, synthetic cannabis can create a much stronger high and is associated with severe side effects that are not typical of natural cannabis. These can include hallucinations, paranoia, and in extreme cases, life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks or seizures.
Due to its unregulated nature, the chemical composition of synthetic cannabis can vary widely between batches, leading to unpredictable effects and a significant risk of overdose. This unpredictability, combined with its addictive qualities, can result in intense withdrawal symptoms for habitual users. Despite a decline in usage reported among students in recent years, synthetic cannabis remains popular, especially among individuals seeking to avoid drug tests. Its availability in convenience stores and gas stations, along with constant alterations in its chemical makeup to evade legal restrictions, underscores the ongoing public health concerns associated with this substance.
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Synthetic cannabis
Synthetic cannabis (synthetic cannabinoids), also called spice, synthetic marijuana, fake pot, or K2, among other nicknames, is a popular designer drug. While often advertised as a legal variant of marijuana, synthetic cannabis has very little in common with real cannabis. Tested synthetic cannabis contains a different chemical composition from marijuana, causing a significantly more powerful high and vastly more potent and negative side effects than real marijuana. Synthetic cannabis manufacturers often alter the drug's chemical composition to evade laws designed to ban designer drugs.
Origins
Professor John W. Huffman created synthetic cannabis in the late 1990s. Huffman wanted to research claims that marijuana had a variety of medicinal uses. However, federal law made this research impossible. To circumvent this, researchers in Huffman's laboratory began to synthesize molecules that bind to the same receptor as THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana, theoretically simulating marijuana's effects on the brain. Because the chemicals found in the lab were new and unregulated by federal law, experimenting with these chemicals was perfectly legal.
Hoffman's lab quickly created hundreds of varieties of synthetic cannabis. Some variants appeared beneficial to humans. They even lacked the psychoactive effects normally associated with THC. Other variants produced psychoactive effects hundreds of times more powerful than marijuana. While none of these were intended for human consumption, many were somehow leaked to the public.
Companies in the United Kingdom and Asia quickly realized the commercial potential of the new drug. They sprayed the chemicals over nonreactive plant materials for a marijuana-like appearance and then marketed the synthetics as a legal version of marijuana. The product was often labeled "not for human consumption," or as incense or potpourri. Because of these labels, the drugs were legal to sell in gas stations and other specialty stores. Whenever a specific chemical formula was outlawed, manufacturers slightly changed the synthetic drug sprayed on the plant materials to keep the drug technically legal.
Effects
Most varieties of synthetic cannabis have little in common with real marijuana. While synthetic cannabis looks like natural marijuana, and both THC and synthetic chemicals bind to the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain, they produce very different effects. THC is a partial agonist of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, meaning THC molecules partially bind to those receptors. Most varieties of synthetic cannabis are full agonists, meaning they bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors at a much greater rate.
Studies have shown that synthetic cannabis highs can cause increased heart rate, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, hallucinations, paranoia, aggressive behavior, vomiting, seizures, comas, impaired memory, confusion, disorientation, anxiety, and psychosis. Researchers even coined the term spiceophrenia in reference to spice, or synthetic cannabis, users' schizophrenia-like symptoms.
Other side effects vary with the specific chemicals imbibed by the user and the size of the dose ingested. However, due to its questionable legal status and the unreliable manufacturing process used to make it, variables such as these cannot be reliably controlled by the average user. Spraying the chemicals onto plant material creates uneven chemical distribution, leading to areas with unpredictably high drug concentration. Additionally, as more synthetic cannabinoids are made illegal, the chemicals used quickly change. Two identical-looking bags from the same manufacturer may contain completely different chemicals.
Because it is impossible to regulate how much synthetic cannabis is ingested at one time or the exact chemicals involved, accidental overdose is possible. Overdoses often require immediate medical attention. An overdosing user may suddenly collapse, drop into a comatose state, stop breathing, or suffer from strokes or heart attacks. Synthetic cannabis overdoses have been responsible for cases of permanent brain damage and premature death. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year thousands of emergency room visits and poison control center calls are associated with the use of synthetic cannabis. The number of reported overdoses often fluctuates considerably year to year. In 2017, over one hundred individuals in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County were treated for overdosing on the drug in just three days, evidence of the potential for a particularly potent or contaminated batch to cause significant public health risk.
Unlike real marijuana, synthetic cannabis is highly addictive. Habitual users attempting to quit may experience severe withdrawal symptoms lasting several days, with more mild symptoms persisting for months. Symptoms of withdrawal episodes from synthetic cannabis include anxiety, depression, nightmares, psychotic episodes, restlessness, suicidal thoughts, loss of appetite, paranoia, insomnia, hallucinations, vomiting, diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, intense cravings for more of the drug, irritability, seizures, and heart attacks.
Popularity
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2020, 1.6 percent of eighth graders, 2.5 percent of tenth graders, and 2.4 percent of twelfth graders reported using synthetic cannabis. Though these percentages were lower than when the organization first began surveying for this data—11.4 percent of twelfth graders reported using synthetic cannabis in 2011—and high school students were likely perceiving greater risk in ingesting the drug than in previous years, it still remained an issue, particularly with young adults. Additionally, synthetics have become popular with people on probation and those who routinely get drug tested for work. Because the chemical formulas used in the production of synthetic cannabis change regularly, effective tests for synthetic cannabis are difficult and costly to produce. Most drugs tests only test for natural marijuana and more common drugs.
Additionally, experts believe that easy access to synthetic cannabis has drastically increased the drug's popularity. Though some varieties of synthetic cannabis have been successfully outlawed, newer variants are usually unregulated by state and federal laws. For this reason, newer variants can legally be sold to minors in places such as convenience stores, gas stations, and drug paraphernalia shops. Common brand names include Kronic, Kush, K2, Joker, and Black Mamba.
Bibliography
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Spice Addiction Support, https://spiceaddictionsupport.org/. Accessed 16 June 2021.
"Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2/Spice) DrugFacts." National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health, June 2020, www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/synthetic-cannabinoids-k2spice. Accessed 16 June 2021.
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