Can You Believe Synthetic Marijuana is Legal? Follow along to learn more about this law and how it changes outlooks.
Parents have always had a lot to worry about when it comes to their children and drugs. Over the past couple of years, however, things have went even further downhill. Why is this? Mostly it’s because there is a new drug on the market that is being legally sold in tobacco shops and gas stations all across the nation. This drug is commonly referred to as synthetic marijuana; however, it comes with a multitude of street names, including Spice, Smiley, Panama Red Ball, K2, Ninja and Voodoo Spice. Children 18 years of age or older can buy the substance, and after smoking it they will get the effects of being very high, and for many of them, even a trip to a local emergency room takes place.
While smoking marijuana is highly favored by many Americans, smoking synthetic marijuana is quickly becoming a high that nobody wants. Still yet, more and more younger adults and children are continuing to smoke it on a daily basis. To fully understand why this drug is legal, as well as understand why it should be illegal, let’s dive in and take a close look at what it is and what it does.
What is Fake Weed?
Fake weed, also known as synthetic marijuana, made its way into the hands of the public in the year 2002. Because the substance doesn’t trigger a positive drug test, many people who are on probation and parole tend to smoke it. Although it is marketed as “100 percent organic,” there is nothing safe about doing this drug.
In all actuality, not a single ingredient included in the man-made drug is completely natural. Almost all synthetic marijuana products contain a wide range of synthetic cannabinoids, meaning they are not natural. Since the side effects of the drug are so intense and unsafe, there has not been any published research relating to the substance.
What Does Synthetic Marijuana Look Like?
Synthetic marijuana oftentimes looks a lot like a weed; however, for the most part, it mostly resembles oregano and/or herbs. It tends to come in a wide range of colors, including red, green, and brown. Most times, it will be sold in small packets. Some stores sell it in foil packs while others sell it in simple plastic zip bags or small plastic tubes.
Many synthetic marijuana products claim to contain an assortment of legal herbs, including:
- Dwarf skullcap
- Beach bean
- Indian lotus
- Blue Egyptian water lily
- Honeyweed
- Indian warrior
- Lion’s tail
Although many products claim to have such legal herbs in them, there has been a study conducted before that concluded the listed ingredients were not actually found.
What’s In Synthetic Marijuana?
Almost every synthetic marijuana product contains a different recipe. For the most part, all of them contain at least one of the following types of synthetic cannabinoid agonists:
- CP 47,497
- JWH-018
Other ingredients often combined with the above-mentioned include:
- Bath salts
- Glue
- Gas
What Happens When a Person Smokes Synthetic Marijuana?
Understanding the effects of synthetic marijuana puts it into a clear view as to why it should be illegal. Smoking the substance only one time can lead to:
- Tremors
- Increased heart rate
- Stroke
- Paralysis
- Hallucination
- Paranoia
One mother states her son smoked it on a Thursday and on Friday he was in no way the same person. Within the two years after he smoked it, he has been institutionalized more than 15 times and has made three suicide attempts.
Although the drug is supposed to resemble the “high” of smoking real marijuana, people who have smoked it testify that the high is much more intense. Many of them state that after smoking it one time they will not smoke it again.
The oddest thing about synthetic marijuana is that it is so dangerous, yet completely legal to buy. Although many products of it have been banned by many states, since people are constantly coming up with new ingredients to put in it, not all forms of it have been made illegal. Whether a person lives in California or Maine, purchasing some form of synthetic marijuana is completely legal.
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