While research is advancing, the effect synthetic marijuana products may have on the human body is largely unknown. To date, few studies have been published testing the effects of the chemicals.
Within the DEA report, it's noted that overdoses have caused fatal heart attacks. Similarly, acute kidney injury resulting in hospitalization and dialysis have been connected to these synthetics. One study compared the level of impairment for drivers who were arrested for intoxicated driving. One group had smoked synthetic cannabinoids and those in the other group had used marijuana.
The study found a significant increase in confusion, disorientation, and incoherence in the synthetic marijuana group. Slurred speech, a side effect not normally associated with natural cannabis use, was also reported among the people who had taken synthetic cannabinoids. Beyond the short-term effects mentioned, an increase in blood pressure, as well as seizures, tremors, and anxiety, have been noted in people who have used synthetic marijuana.
Whether these observed symptoms will have lasting effects, particularly on adolescents and young adults, is not yet known. Of course, smoking any substance could have negative effects on the lungs. There were also cases in which a version of synthetic marijuana was laced with rat poison, causing uncontrolled bleeding in hundreds of people and killing several others who ingested the tainted products.
If you or a loved one has used synthetic marijuana and begin experiencing severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, call or asked a loved one to take you to the hospital immediately. These are all signs of contaminated cannabinoid products. If you are a parent of a young adult, it pays to know the behaviors and physical effects of using fake weed.
While exhibiting one or two of these signs might not mean that your child is using, they are all strong indicators of drug use and should be taken seriously. Physical effects:. Contrary to common belief, herbal bud is not "natural marijuana.
Synthetic marijuana is also far more potent, containing THC analogs or synthetic cannabinoids that can be up to times more potent than THC found in marijuana. Often, additives, toxic impurities, and other types of drugs are also found in fake weed products. If you regularly use synthetic cannabinoids, you can also become both physically and psychologically dependent.
This means if you stop abruptly, you'll likely experience withdrawal symptoms. Since the chemical composition of fake weed is unknown and can change from batch to batch, tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal may also vary.
How long synthetic cannabinoids stay in your system depends on several factors, including the type, how it is administered i. Since these synthetic drugs don't trigger a positive result on most standard urine drug tests, many people turn to these drugs in an attempt to avoid positive drug screens for employment, rehab, or legal reasons. Long-term, regular use of synthetic cannabinoids can lead to addiction. If you have a history of mental illness or a substance use disorder, the risk of addiction is even greater.
In addition to building up a tolerance and experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, other signs of synthetic cannabinoid addiction can include:. Symptoms of synthetic weed withdrawal can range from mild to severe, depending on how frequent and how long you have been using, and include the following:.
If you suspect that someone you love is using synthetic marijuana, the most important thing you can do is spend time with them, communicate the dangers of fake weed, and watch for any signs of use.
While behavioral therapies and medications have yet to be specifically tested for the treatment of synthetic cannabinoid addiction, a healthcare professional can work with you and your loved one to safely detox from the drug as well as identify and treat any co-occurring mental illness. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life.
National Institutes of Health. Updated February Because the chemicals used in Spice have a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit, the Drug Enforcement Administration has made many of the active chemicals found in Spice illegal.
However, the people who make these products try to avoid these laws by using different chemicals in their mixtures. Spice is most often labeled "not for human consumption" and disguised as incense. In fact, the actual effects of spice can be unpredictable and, in some cases, severe or cause death.
Most people smoke Spice by rolling it in papers like with marijuana or handmade tobacco cigarettes ; sometimes, it is mixed with marijuana. Some people also make it as an herbal tea for drinking. Others buy Spice products as liquids to use in e-cigarettes. Spice has only been around a few years, and research is only just beginning to measure how it affects the brain.
What is known is that the chemicals found in Spice attach to the same nerve cell receptors as THC, the main mind-altering ingredient in marijuana. Some of the chemicals in Spice, however, attach to those receptors more strongly than THC, which could lead to much stronger effects. The resulting health effects can be unpredictable and dangerous. Many synthetic cannabinoids have a chemical structure that is similar to serotonin, a natural chemical found in the body.
Because of the way that smoking mixtures are made, there can be differences in the concentration of synthetic cannabinoids in individual packets and between different batches. Synthetic cannabinoids are more likely to be associated with hallucinations than natural cannabis , possibly because of their potency.
Use of synthetic cannabinoids can cause psychotic episodes, which in extreme cases could last for weeks. Regular use could cause a relapse of mental health illness or increase the risk of developing a mental illness, especially if you have a family history of mental illness. Synthetic cannabinoids are usually sold in 'herbal' smoking mixtures. Sometimes these smoking mixtures have been found not to contain any synthetic cannabinoids at all!
Any dried herbs, vegetable matter or plant cuttings can be mixed or sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids to make smoking mixtures. A number of different plants are often listed on the packaging of smoking mixtures, but these might not actually be present in the mixture. There have been a few studies carried out on the level of synthetic cannabinoids present in smoking mixtures which suggest that there can be differences in the concentration of synthetic cannabinoids in between different batches and packets.
This could be because the mixing or spraying missed some of the smoking mixture or over-sprayed some of it. The chemical composition of synthetic cannabinoids and the ingredients of smoking mixtures are changing all the time, so you can never be sure of what you're getting, how powerful it is, and how it could affect you. Mixing synthetic cannabinoids with alcohol or other drugs can be especially dangerous.
It can increase the risks of both drugs and can lead to a greater risk of accidents or death. Also, because synthetic cannabinoids can overstimulate the serotonin system, it is important to avoid mixing them with antidepressants, such as Prozac, as they both stimulate serotonin activity in the brain, which can lead to serotonin syndrome, causing high fever, rapid pulse, sweating, agitation, confusion, convulsions, organ failure, coma and even death.
Research suggests that you can become dependent on synthetic cannabinoids, especially if you use them regularly. How significantly the risks have altered post-ban is debatable. Sutcliffe is one of the few chemists who tests spice seized by police.
Using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry he examines batches of the drug to determine the best harm-reduction strategies for the health and emergency services. More recently he has discovered crystalline forms of the drug.
Last week, Wrexham drug services were warned that a batch of LSD that had been dipped in spice was in circulation in the town. The pharmacology of how these things work in the body is not understood when they are being used in their single forms — but when you throw multiple compounds into the mix, the risks go significantly up.
It becomes even more unpredictable. Users report blacking out, memory lapses and chronic stomach pains, as well as heart palpitations, shivers and sweats. This means that they have very different effects. Spice and other synthetic cannabinoids are considerably more potent than cannabis. And their effects are so wide-ranging and potentially damaging because the CB1 receptors that these synthetic drugs have been designed to target are common in many different regions across the brain.
The memory effects are likely to come from the density of CB1 receptors in the hippocampus — the temporal lobe may be why these drugs can cause seizures, and their dangerous cardiac, respiratory and gastrointensinal effects are likely to be due to the number of CB1 receptors in the brain stem.
Measham knows drug workers who believe that spice is worse than heroin in terms of physical addiction. They thought it was a synthetic cannabinoid, which makes it sound benign. All sorts of people were trying it, putting the same amount in a spliff as they would if it was cannabis, but it could be times more potent. Bradley has no doubts that spice is addictive. So how is the problem of spice tackled in other countries?
Do bans work? Prior to the UK ban, the only two countries in the world to have passed similar legislation were Ireland and Poland, which both subsequently saw increases in the use of new psychoactive drugs. Nutt said that the history of drug control over the last century proves that prohibition does not work. Martin Powell, campaigns manager at Transform, a thinktank that pushes for drugs liberalisation, suggested that what was happening in Wrexham would, in time, spread to other regions.
Arfon Jones, the North Wales police and crime commissioner, whose patch includes Wrexham, believes the spice problem has been exacerbated by the ban. The positive sentiment on social media is also very high. I think the Home Office are behind the times in understanding this change in attitude. Powell draws comparisons with other countries.
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