A Synthetic Marijuana Called Spice

Spice is the generic name for a so-called “synthetic marijuana” or “fake pot.” In most states and in the District of Columbia, it is perfectly legal to buy and sell spice which, when smoked, can produce a marijuana-like high.

The popularity of spice has caught the attention of lawmakers in several states. According to The Washington Post, the governor of Missouri is the latest to sign a state ban, following Kansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia; soon to be followed by Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, and Louisiana. It is also banned in some European countries.

There is little data or official accounting of its use, although poison control centers record 567 cases of people reporting a bad reaction so far in 2010. Long-term effects are unknown.

Spice comes from the United States as well as other countries, but it is not always clear how the product is made or my whom. According to the Post, packages of spice are labeled that it is to be used as an incense and is not meant for human consumption or to be smoked.

Users report that smoking spice produces an effect similar to marijuana. Spice is generally marketed as an incense known as K2 and is also known as Demon, Genie, or Zohai, and costs as much as $40 per gram.

The New York Times quotes Dr. Scalzo, medical director of the Missouri Poison Control Center, as saying that it is unclear “whether the reaction we’re seeing is just because of dose effect, or if there’s something in there we haven’t found yet.”

Most unsettling for law enforcement is the fact that spice does not show up on drug tests and is not regulated by any agency.

Where did spice originate? CBS News reported earlier this year that Dr. John Huffman, a Clemson University organic chemistry professor, was researching the effects of cannabinoids on the brain when his work resulted in a 1995 paper that contained the method and ingredients used to make the compound. That recipe found its way to marijuana users, who replicated Huffman’s work and began spraying it onto dried flowers, herbs and tobacco. “People who use it are idiots,” said Huffman.

Writer Ann Pietrangelo embraces the concept of personal responsibility for health and wellness. As a person living with multiple sclerosis, she combines a healthy lifestyle and education with modern medicine, and seeks to provide information and support to others. She is a regular contributor to Care2 Causes. Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo

Image from PhotoXpress.com

quick poll

vote now!

Loading poll...

no!
leaning no
leaning yes
yes!

no!
leaning no
leaning yes
yes!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

KS G.

1:32AM PDT on Mar 18, 2012

Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Emma S.

10:32AM PST on Nov 18, 2011

Thank you for this.

Ida J.

2:39AM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

thanks

Jennifer C.

12:27AM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

Thanks.

Pat V.

5:28PM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

Noted with interest.Ty.

Robyn L.

6:10PM PDT on Jun 1, 2011

People seek altered states.
Some people like to do so simply because it is illicit, and therefore a tad glamorous.

while I think the Spice derivatives, like herbal X preparations are probably not a great option (clean X is safer than the "legal" replacements, but it is hard to detect purity on the spot.)
However, many people think animal products are not healthy, or fried food, or soda, and woe to the lawmaker that suggests outlawing those.
Put a minimum age limit (like tobacco) on it. Require full ingredient disclosure like oh, canned soup, and let adults be adults.

Lynda J.

1:37PM PDT on May 30, 2011

Marijuana is NOT a bridge drug - a few people who have naturally compulsive personalities will become heavy smokers. Otherwise they would have been heavy drinkers or heavy gamblers!

The rest of the world- some will try, some won't, some will use it occasionally, some never will.

Legalise it - and begin to control the drug cartels who are REALLY killing our children and ruining the lives of our youth.

Robert O.

11:58AM PDT on Apr 30, 2011

Ian D.

12:32PM PST on Feb 23, 2011

This is what happens when you build a house on bad foundation. With things like the oil crisis because we mass produced an oil based social economy, the cotton textile industry which prolonged slavery and lead to the secession of the south as well as the civil war, the military-industrial complex that requires war every other year, and yes the illegal drug market which fuels terrorism, crime, and harmful synthetics. Its tricky to build a new foundation without bringing down the house.

Mary B.

8:49AM PST on Feb 12, 2011

lets just freaking make weed legal so we dont have to worry about the horrible effects of K2 or 'spice'.I am a junior in high school, and i KNOW what happpens to you when u regularly smoke spice, and it is NOT pretty!LEGALIZE WEED:)