KENTUCKY (2/2/12)—Though they have existed on the open market for several years, it has been within the last year or so that a variety of synthetic drugs sold under monikers like K-2, K4 Diamond, G-6 Summit, Hayze, Kanabliss Max, Zombie Killa, and Spaz (just to name a few) have taken to the public like a wildfire. The reasons: they’re legal in many communities and they can be bought at just about any local convenience store if you’re at least 18 years-old.

Yet, for all their accessibility, scientific studies and first-hand accounts suggest that these generally inconsistent forms of “synthetic marijuana” or “synthetic cannabinoids” have little in common with the actual drug they are supposed to mimic. In fact, a variety of evidence shows that synthetic cannabinoids can produce life-threatening effects, including violent seizures, the long-term loss of motor skills, and even death.

Neil Vowels, a Kentucky State Police Forensic Drug Chemist with seven years of experience at the KSP’s forensic crime lab in Madisonville, KY, explains of the synthetic cannabinoids and their dangerous compositions.

“The chemical compounds these products contain react with the body similarly to THC [tetrahydrocannabinol], which is present in real marijuana, but it takes a lot less of these synthetic compounds to achieve the same effect,” says Vowels. “With that being said, people should understand that an overdose can definitely result from using cannabinoids. People have died from using these drugs.”

What’s more, Vowels explains that many of the synthetic cannabinoids seem to be manufactured with little or no quality control, meaning that the amount of harmful chemicals used within the same brand’s production can vary quite dangerously.

“These drugs are very dangerous, whether they’re legal or not,” says Vowels. “People need to understand that there’s no quality control in the synthetic cannabinoid industry. From what I’ve seen, there are significant differences and variations in the amount of the compound present within the exact same brands. Just because you smoke a gram of one brand and don’t experience serious or life-threatening effects, it doesn’t mean that you won’t overdose the next time you buy it. That same brand could contain up to ten-times as much of the synthetic compound the next time you consume it. It’s highly dangerous for this reason. As I said before, people have died from using it. For the most part, people have no idea what they’re putting in their body when they consume these chemicals. Frankly, it’s quite scary to think about.”

The fact that no one really knows what the long-term effects could be also poses a large potential threat. Though many suggest that serious and/or dangerous psychological effects are produced from long-term usage of the synthetic drugs, including bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia, these theories are not sufficiently validated at this time. However, the reason for this lack of research is that the synthetic cannabinoid compounds are simply too new to study in an actual long-term setting, meaning that today’s “users” are, for all intents and purposes, tomorrow’s scientific “guinea pigs.”

While several laws have been passed that ban and/or control many of the compounds found in the substances, manufacturers of the drugs continue to elude legislative policies and ordinances (for the most part) by merely switching up their item’s chemical makeup. Though some successful legislation has been passed, many local communities, including our own, have yet to put effective synthetic drug laws into place.

However, Madisonville Mayor David Jackson is optimistic that the growing problem will be met both swiftly and justly in our local community.

“We’re working hard to try and come up with an ordinance that would correct this issue,” says Mayor Jackson. “The real challenge that we have is that the manufacturers are staying one step ahead of the law by constantly adjusting the chemical composition of the synthetic drugs. As one thing becomes illegal, they change what they use so they can continue to sell their product legally. We’re working hard to fashion an ordinance to correct this issue, but we have to work within the law as well. We’re keeping people’s civil rights in mind, while trying to stop this problem.”

As of this report, Mayor Jackson states that thousands of dollars seem to be spent on purchasing these products each week within Madisonville’s city limits. Accordingly, Jackson says that issues with the drug have become more prominent within the last several months and weeks.

“It’s a huge problem and a huge disaster just waiting to happen,” says Mayor Jackson. “One of the most dangerous aspects of these synthetic drugs, is that people believe they’re safe just because they can be bought over the counter.”

While the City has reviewed several ordinance models from other states and/or nearby communities, Mayor Jackson states that they have yet to arrive at any final decisions at this time.

In regard to what our community can do to combat the issue outside of passing laws, Mayor Jackson states that, “Parents need to talk to their kids and let them know that these products are not something to be taken lightly. They are not toys; they are not something like an energy drink. This is something that could ruin their lives. It’s important that we keep kids from ever even trying the drugs.”

Currently, a collection of federal, statewide, and local legislative efforts are being made to eradicate the threat of these “synthetic” drugs in all forms, regardless of chemical composition. In fact, due to a sudden rise in usage, Anderson County, KY recently enacted laws banning the sale of any synthetic-type products without specific focus on certain chemicals found in the mixtures. Other counties have successfully passed similar laws as well.

While some habitual users may scoff at the so-called “dangerous” effects of these synthetic drugs and the chemicals they contain, one 18 year-old resident of Madisonville—who wishes to remain anonymous for what will become obvious reasons—told SurfKY News last week that he will never purchase or consume these drugs again.

According to his first-hand account, which was substantiated by close members of his family and his friends, it was the consumption of a legal, synthetic drug called “Boom-Boom Potpourri” that led to both a violent seizure and a fatal heart-attack for the teenager.

Though this young man was revived by emergency medical personnel after his heart flat-lined, his direct brush with death has inspired him to reach out to the community, as well as the world at large. His overall message: synthetic drugs aren’t safe just because they’re legal to obtain.

As he explains, “Instead of buying normal or organic weed like I should have, which is what I would normally do, me and my friends went out and bought some of the fake stuff. We decided that, ‘Well, it’s legal and we’ve got the money to buy this.’ We knew we couldn’t get in trouble and that’s a lot of why we did it, plus it’s cheaper. What we bought was called ‘Bang-Bang Potpourri.’”

While the teen says that that he smokes organic marijuana often, which has earned him the title of “pothead” amongst his friends, it was after he took two small draws or pulls of the synthetic marijuana from a glass pipe that he became extremely anxious, began hallucinating, and felt out-of-control—feelings he said that he’s never experienced from smoking organic marijuana. In fact, he says that he could hardly remember his name and could barely hold on to a two-liter soda bottle.

From there, it wasn’t long before the teen was falling down and “blinking” in and out of consciousness. The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital room, yet reality remained skewed in his mind. He says that he doesn’t remember how he got there and he wasn’t sure if he was even alive anymore.

“Everything I saw in the room came in and out of focus after I first ‘woke up.’ It was like I was in total nothingness or darkness and then a flash of reality would come into view out of a long tube. Then it would be gone again. I felt like I didn’t really even exist. It wasn’t a good feeling at all. It was scary. That was the first time and the last time I’ll ever try synthetic marijuana or anything like it.”

When asked what advice he would give to those wanting to try the synthetic drugs the young man stated that, “If you want to try this stuff, you might as well just go ahead and write up a suicide note. For real, these things are no joke. I legally died from a heart attack because I smoked some of this stuff, and I’m just 18 years-old.”

Regarding his reasoning for speaking out so vocally, the teen stated that, “Really, I’m just trying to open peoples’ eyes. These synthetic drugs can kill people or hurt them. It’s insane that these synthetic drugs are still being sold legally.”

As new information is released regarding local and/or statewide laws linked to the sale, possession, or consumption of synthetic cannabinoids, look to SurfKY News for the latest updates.

Luke Short
SurfKY News

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