Synthetic Drugs Under Your Nose and Right to Your Door

In July a new Florida law took effect that bans the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana. You might have seen this drug for sale at your favorite gas station or convenient mart, but you shouldn't anymore. It was sold under names like Spice, K2, Euphoria, Legal Herb or Dragon Smoke.

Synthetic marijuana originated in Europe in 2004 under the brand name "Spice."  It started out from pharmaceutical research that was done in the 1980's. Although these compounds were not pursued by major companies, it didn't stop other "chemists" from continuing and pursuing research in this area.

The appeal of this "legal" marijuana quickly caught on and created a world-wide demand.  It provided an altered state similar to marijuana, didn't show up in the normal drug screening tests, and was not a technically banned substance. Laws enacted to ban products like this get thwarted. It's a game of "cat and mouse" that continues to perpetuate. Drug Enforcement Agencies identify the compounds in these products, law makers ban the compounds and then manufacturers change the ingredients just ever so slightly.

State of Florida House Rep. Darryl Rouson who sponsored Florida's synthetic marijuana bill in 2011, which was later signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, believes this is only a temporary fix. He believes that laws and incarceration are not effective deterrents to combating our drug problems. The answer is through prevention and education.

Through the internet this drug, and others, can easily be obtained. The manufacturers of these products don't provide Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels or ingredients because it's marketed as incense, or some other aromatic product and not synthetic marijuana. Unfortunately, your children or grand children know differently. They are the ones using it for its unintended purposes and suffering the physical consequences.

Poison control centers are reporting an increase in overdoses from these kinds of products. Some symptoms include agitation, elevated heart rates and higher than normal blood pressure. Products not manufactured for human consumption don't normally need to go through FDA testing and approval. It's a chance game that could have some serious and potentially deadly consequences as manufacturers make the next product change.

Representative Rouson is most likely right about this in that education and prevention is the answer. So have that talk with your children or grandchildren.  Have it again, then have again and again. Do it before it is too late.

Contact us to find out more about the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition.  You can comment about this blog below or you can take this to our forum.