Synthetic Marijuana Has Caused Wave of Overdoses in the United States

Synthetic cannabis is becoming increasingly common in the United States. They are easier to find and relatively inexpensive, have a more powerful effect and do not give off the famous smell of traditional drugs. In addition, they are difficult to detect in the urine or bloodstream. This all makes it very attractive to users. But… since everything comes at a price, the substance can have devastating health effects.

Well, first of all: what is synthetic marijuana? Manufacturers began selling it as a "safe alternative" to weed in the early 2000s. Composed of psychoactive chemicals, the drug is usually liquefied and sprayed on plant material. It can be smoked, added to foods like tea or steamed.

The effects are similar to THC, the main psychoactive compound found naturally in cannabis. However, consumers do not know which chemical compounds are in each package of K2, Spice or AK47, which are their most popular "nicknames" among Yankees. Batches enter America by sea and because they are dissolved in dried plants, and other objects that can absorb the liquid, the process is inaccurate, which can drastically alter the quantities in each "package."

Thus, it is not possible to know exactly what is in these “units” and there have been recorded heavy metals, pesticides, mold and salmonella. That is, the citizen only wants a strong wave but ends up taking home several agents that cause serious illness.

Overdorses have caused concern in the United States

A public place known to American stews, The Green in New Haven near Yale University in Connecticut has been worrying. No fewer than 70 serious overdoses of synthetic marijuana were reported on August 15 and 16 this year. All people treated had similar symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and difficulty breathing.

By July, the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the food and drug industry, had detected a batch of rat poison synthetic marijuana, and in ten states and the District of Columbia hundreds of people were hospitalized for severe bleeding - four users. have died.

Many parts of the country have seen episodic seizures due to synthetic marijuana, the largest occurring in Mississippi, where 721 adverse events were reported between April 2-3 and 2015. Even with separate outbreaks, synthetic cannabinoids are 30 times more likely to harm their compared to regular users. Still, US disease prevention agencies report that 7% of high school students and approximately 17% of adults regularly use synthetic drugs.

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