Narconon Arrowhead Issues Warning on Synthetic Pot Problem in Oklahoma
Over the course of the past few years, more and more people have become aware of a drug known as synthetic marijuana. Also referred to commonly by the brand names Spice and K2, or by the euphemistic “herbal incense.” Whatever name you use to talk about this drug, it is a highly dangerous and potentially addictive drug which is in fact not a single chemical substance as is normally the case with drugs, but rather a class of substances which share similar chemical properties and which all have effects similar to cannabis when consumed by humans.
Narconon Arrowhead recently issued a warning about the dangers of synthetic marijuana, along with valuable information to help the public understand this serious health threat better, as well as improving efforts at prevention and treatment. This is largely in response to the announcement on the part of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control that use of synthetic drugs has become a major epidemic in that state. It’s not just a new trend, but a public health crisis which has taken root and which is in desperate need of a solution. Narconon Arrowhead is working to turn this situation around.
One of the most troublesome aspects of the situation with synthetic marijuana has to do with its legal status. As mentioned above, synthetic cannabis is not a single substance. Making cocaine illegal, for example, only requires banning benzoylmethylecgonine, the chemical substance we know as cocaine, and heroin can be made illegal by passing a law against diacetylmorphine. But with synthetic marijuana, the people manufacturing the drugs can avoid legal barriers by shifting from the variation which has been banned to one of dozens or hundreds of potential substitutes which have not been barred for production and use but which are for all intents and purposes the same thing.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma state legislature passed a law which was aimed at preventing the spread of synthetic drugs, which was effective inasmuch as it banned 142 chemicals which are used in making synthetic marijuana, thereby casting a wide net to target a variety of options that could be employed in producing that drug. The new law appears to have an advantage over previous legislation aimed at synthetic drugs, by not only laying out a list of banned substances but also including the power to ban new ones based on expert testimony to the effect that the substance in question could be used to produce synthetic drugs. Past legislation has been limited by the fact that a new law might squash the currently used chemicals, but would quickly become outdated as drug chemists found alternatives, but this law includes provisions to address this.
How Dangerous is Synthetic Marijuana?
Narconon Arrowhead has extensive information on their website, including a section devoted to synthetic marijuana, and they are working to support the State of Oklahoma in their efforts to prevent synthetic drug abuse by helping to spread the word about the dangers of these drugs. An issue which makes synthetic marijuana, if anything, more dangerous than normal cannabis is the fact that it is far less predictable in its effects. Synthetic marijuana is not only newer, and therefore less studied than normal marijuana, but is also a combination of several chemicals, in constantly changing formulations. Young people who try synthetic marijuana often do so on the mistaken assumption that it is safer than cannabis, but too many have found out the hard way that this is not true.
In 2011 alone, 28,531 people were taken to the emergency room for complications involving synthetic marijuana, according to the most recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and cases have been reported of death following as little as one hit of the drug. Synthetic marijuana is anything but safe, and Narconon Arrowhead is fighting to stop it from harming more people in Oklahoma and nationwide.
Source: