MARIJUANA DERIVATIVES
WHAT IS K2/SPICE?
K2 and Spice are just two of the many trade names or brands for synthetic designer drugs that are intended to mimic THC, the main psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. These designer synthetic drugs are from the synthetic cannabinoid class of drugs that are often marketed and sold under the guise of “herbal incense” or “potpourri.”
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Synthetic cannabinoids are not organic, but are chemical compounds created in a laboratory. Since 2009, law enforcement has encountered hundreds of different synthetic cannabinoids that are being sold as “legal” alternatives to marijuana. These products are being used for their psychoactive properties and are packaged without information as to their health and safety risks. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classifies K2/Spice as Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC since both cannabinoids are derived from cannabis, but they differ in potency, effects, legality, and chemical structure.
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​Synthetic cannabinoids are sold at small convenience stores, head shops, gas stations, and online from both domestic and international sources. These products are labeled “not for human consumption” in an attempt to shield the manufacturers, distributors, and retail sellers from criminal prosecution. This type of marketing is nothing more than a means to make dangerous, psychoactive substances widely available to the public. Unlike natural cannabis, K2 contains chemicals that vary between batches, making its effects unpredictable. These chemicals are often sprayed on dried plant material to be smoked or added to vape liquids.
WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?
The vast majority of synthetic cannabinoids are manufactured in Asia without manufacturing requirements or quality control standards. The bulk powdered chemical is smuggled into the United States typically as misbranded imports and have no legitimate medical or industrial use.
What are common street names?
There are numerous street names of synthetic cannabinoids as drug manufacturers try to appeal to and entice youth and young adults by labeling these K2/Spice products with exotic and extravagant packaging. Some of the many street names of K2/Spice synthetic marijuana are:
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Spice, K2, Mojo, Blaze, RedX Dawn, Paradise, Demon, Black Magic, Spike, Mr. Nice Guy, Ninja, Zohai, Dream, Genie, Sence, Smoke, Skunk, Serenity, Yucatan, Fire, Skooby Snax, and Crazy Clown.
What does it look like?
These chemical compounds are generally found in bulk powder form, and then dissolved in solvents, such as acetone, before being applied to dry plant material to make the “herbal incense” products. After local distributors apply the drug to the dry plant material, they package it for retail distribution. As these products have no accepted medical use, this process is done without pharmaceutical-grade chemical purity standards, or any concern for the user. It ignores any control mechanisms that would serve to ensure a uniform concentration of the powerful and dangerous drugs contained in each package. The disregard for the public’s safety and often encountered “hot spots” in the drug packaging can result in a person ingesting a highly concentrated portion of the drugs without their knowledge, often leading to serious adverse health effects. The bulk powder can also be dissolved in solution intended to be used in e-cigarette or other vaping devices.
How is it used?
Spraying or mixing the synthetic cannabinoids on plant material provides a vehicle for the most common route of administration - smoking (using a pipe, a water pipe, or rolling the drug-laced plant material in cigarette papers). In addition to the cannabinoids laced on plant material and sold as potpourri and incense, liquid cannabinoids have been designed to be vaporized through both disposable and reusable electronic cigarettes.
EFFECTS OF K2/SPICE?
WHAT IS ITS EFFECT ON THE MIND?
Acute psychotic episodes, dependence, and withdrawal are associated with use of these synthetic cannabinoids. Some individuals have suffered from intense hallucinations. Other effects include severe agitation, disorganized thoughts, paranoid delusions, and violence after smoking products laced with these substances.
Studied Effects
Clinical studies show that the physiological, psychological, and behavioral effects of marijuana vary among individuals and present a list of common responses to cannabinoids, as described in the scientific literature:
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​Dizziness, nausea, tachycardia, facial flushing, dry mouth, and tremor initially
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Merriment, happiness, and even exhilaration at high doses
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Disinhibition, relaxation, increased sociability, and talkativeness
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Enhanced sensory perception, giving rise to increased appreciation of music, art, and touch
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Heightened imagination leading to a subjective sense of increased creativity
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Time distortions
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Illusions, delusions, and hallucinations are rare except at high doses
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Impaired judgment, reduced coordination, and ataxia, which can impede driving ability or lead to an increase in risk-taking behavior
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Emotional lability, incongruity of affect, dysphoria, disorganized thinking, inability to converse logically, agitation, paranoia, confusion, restlessness, anxiety, drowsiness, and panic attacks may occur, especially in inexperienced users or in those who have taken a large dose
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Increased appetite and short-term memory impairment are common
WHAT IS ITS EFFECT ON THE BODY?
State public health and poison centers have issued warnings in response to adverse health effects associated with use of herbal incense products containing these synthetic cannabinoids. These adverse effects included tachycardia (elevated heart rate), elevated blood pressure, unconsciousness, tremors, seizures, vomiting, hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, pallor, numbness, and tingling. This is in addition to the numerous public health and poison centers which have similarly issued warnings regarding the use of these synthetic cannabinoids. In some instances, the adverse health effects can be long-lasting even after the person quits using the substances.
What are its overdose effects?
Severe adverse effects have been attributed to the use of synthetic cannabinoids, including nausea, vomiting, agitation, anxiety, seizures, stroke, coma, and death by heart attack or organ failure. Acute kidney injury requiring hospitalization and dialysis in several patients reportedly having smoked synthetic cannabinoids has also been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WHICH DRUGS CAUSE A SIMILAR EFFECT?
Synthetic cannabinoids are marketed as an alternative to THC, the main psychoactive constituent of marijuana, however they are much more potent and have been shown to cause side effects that are more severe than those reported from THC.
WHAT IS ITS LEGAL STATUS IN LOUISIANA
These substances have no accepted medical use in the United States and have been reported to produce adverse health effects. Currently, 49 substances are specifically listed as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act either through legislation or regulatory action. In addition there are many other synthetic cannabinoids that meet the definition for “cannabimimetic agent” under the Controlled Substances Act and thus are Schedule I substances.
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There are many synthetic cannabinoid substances that are being sold as “incense,” “potpourri,” and other products that are not controlled substances. However, synthetic cannabinoids may be subject to prosecution under the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act which allows noncontrolled drugs to be treated as Schedule I controlled substances if certain criteria can be met. DEA has successfully investigated and prosecuted individuals trafficking and selling these dangerous substances using the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act.
