There are more and more people being affected by synthetic marijuana. Recently there was a well-known football player for the New England Patriots (Chandler Jones) who was presumed to be affected by synthetic marijuana. It was so bad that the police had to hospitalize him and locked his house because he was so incoherent. the old days of simply smoking marijuana (#marijuana) from Mexico are over. More and more people want a stronger high without all of the nasty side effects. The assumption is that pot with a little more umph might be the ticket they need.
So if we analyze the marijuana plant or cannabis as most know it, there are three types of products that come from the plant-based on its species. The first product is called hemp which is the fibrous material of the plant. From hemp, which include the plant fibers, oil, and seed we get refined products such as hemp (#hemp) seed foods, hemp oil, wax, resin, rope, cloth, pulp, paper, and fuel. The second product from cannabis is called hashish or hash. This product is extracted from the plant and is composed of compressed preparations of stalked resin glands. It contains the same active ingredient that gets you high (THC) but often in higher concentrations. The final product is called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. This is the portion that comes from the dried bud portion of the flower that is smoked and is a psychoactive drug that changes brain function.
What Is Synthetic Marijuana? 
Synthetic marijuana (#syntheticmarijuana) can come in various forms. It can be an additive applied to regular marijuana by spray. It can also be a liquid to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices. The key to synthetic marijuana is that is man-made in a chemical laboratory. The attempt is to come up with a chemical similar to THC is structure but different enough that it is not considered illegal. These groups of drugs are called new psychoactive substances (NPS).
These mind altering chemicals are not regulated by any health agency and often are created to copy the effects of known illegal drugs. This synthetic marijuana is often sold over the counter in drug paraphernalia shops, novelty stores, gas stations, and through the Internet and marketed as a safe legal alternative to weed. The have names such as K2 drug, Joker, Black Mamba, Kush, Kronic and Spice drug.Each batch of chemicals made will be slightly different which in turn cause different reactions by the same drug user. Law enforcement has been slow in reacting to all of these new synthetic marijuanas. Once they get the authority to ban a chemical and confiscate it, manufacturers have already moved on to the next change in chemical composition. Think of it as playing drug whack-a-mole.
Synthetic Marijuana Side Effects
The synthetic marijuana side effects will vary between chemicals. Some of the side effects can be known but some are unknown. I can remember countless videos from police dash cameras of people who are basically losing their minds out of control. Keep in mind that the chemicals created and used in synthetic marijuana have not gone through vigorous human testing. The drug user ends up being the guinea pig for each batch of drugs. There is no regard for the brain and well-being of the drug user. Without knowing how these side effects react in the brain, the effects can be unpredictable and even life-threatening.
From some of the more common chemicals used we know that there are side effects similar to those produced by marijuana such as an elevated mood, feelings of relaxation, an altered perception and awareness of your surroundings, symptoms of psychosis and delusion, extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia and hallucinations.
For those chemicals which are new and untested there have been side effects which include a rapid heart rate, vomiting, violent behavior, suicidal tendencies, elevated blood pressure, kidney damage, seizures and in some cases death. These are some of the known effects when dealing with synthetic marijuana. Your dealer doesn’t know how you will react to this drug but yet he will promise something better than marijuana. It will be at your own risk. Would you rather live till 90 smoking plain old marijuana or die at 30 risking the synthetic brand?
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