Synthetic substances that mimic marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs are making users across the nation seriously ill, causing seizures and hallucinations and even killing some people.
At least 2,700 people have fallen ill since January, compared with fewer than 3,200 cases in all of 2010. At that pace, medical emergencies related to synthetic drugs could go up nearly fivefold by the end of the year.
The recent surge in activity has not gone unnoticed by authorities. The Drug Enforcement Administration recently used emergency powers to outlaw five chemicals found in synthetic pot, placing them in the same category as heroin and cocaine.
But manufacturers are quick to adapt, often cranking out new formulas that are only a single molecule apart from the illegal ones.
Recreational drugs created in the laboratory have been around at least since the middle of the 20th century, when LSD was first studied. But these latest examples emerged only a few years ago, starting in Europe.
The products were typically made in China, India and other Asian nations and soon arrived in Britain and Germany, according to DEA spokesman Rusty Payne.
Reports of misuse are widespread.
In Kentucky, authorities say a young woman driving on a highway after using bath salts became convinced her 2-year-old was a demon. She allegedly stopped the car and dropped the child on his head. He survived and was taken from his mother's custody.
A Hawaii man pleaded guilty to attacking his girlfriend and trying to throw her off an 11th-floor balcony while high on "Spice."
In January, a Fulton, Miss., man who hallucinated after taking bath salts used a hunting knife to slit his face and stomach.
March, a 19-year-old man named Trevor Robinson-Davis died in suburban Minneapolis after overdosing at a party on a synthetic drug called 2C-E, a "cousin" to a banned rave-party drug. Ten others at the party became ill.
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This is why marijuana should just be legalized. People who take synthetic THC are doing so because of the powerful medical qualities associated with the drug. The cannabis plant has benefits for cancer and HIV patients, people living with chronic pain, and folks with anxiety disorders . . . just to name only a small few of the possible benefits. But the pharmaceutical companies have too much lobby power in Washington in order for marijuana to be legalized at the federal level. This latest round of pharmaceutical (aka "synthetic") drug problems is just one more sign that these companies are more in the business for greed, not healing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting.
ReplyDeleteThere are advocates for both sides beyond the pharmaceutical world.
Moderation, Sensitivity, Compassion, Monitoring would help.
Rachel
Informative blog Margaret. There is so much more to learn and this information helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support and comments Cindy.
ReplyDeleteAlways a lot to learn, know and do nowadays.
R