May 24, 2012
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- It may look like the real thing but synthetic marijuana is much more dangerous. It can cause hallucinations, convulsions, aggression, and other violent outbursts. But that's not stopping teens and college students from smoking up.
The formula is simple enough; herbs are coated with chemicals that create a euphoric high when you smoke them, mimicking the effects of THC.
Only it's not THC. It's marketed as a legal version of the real thing, sold in head shops and gas stations across the state, even though it's a felony to sell and a misdemeanor to buy.
"The legislation's trying to keep up with the manufacturers who've changed the chemical compounds and tried to get around the laws that govern synthetic marijuana," said Knox County prosecutor Sean McDermott.
Dr. Douglas Jentilet, an ER physician at UT Medical Center added, "You don't know what you're getting. You don't know what chemicals you're putting in your body. And the reactions are unpredictable."
Bad reactions are so common, he said, a lot of people who smoke the stuff end up in the ER. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dangerously high heart rates, convulsions, and extreme anxiety.
But that's not stopping people from using it. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports between 2010 and 2011 the number of synthetic pot related emergency calls shot up by 4,000. And a study by "Monitoring the Future," which keeps track of teen drug use, shows it's second only to marijuana as the most popular drug used by high school seniors.
Special Counsel to the District Attorney John Gill said, "Unfortunately I think because it's sold in what appears to be a licensed business, people will think 'Well this can't be too bad.' But it's very dangerous."
The DEA used it's emergency powers last year to temporarily ban five of the chemicals used to make K2, Spice, Red X Dawn and other fake pot brands. The agency is reviewing that ban and has the option to renew it for 6 months.
