Police: Teen Smoking 'Synthetic' Weed Prior to Jump at Willow Grove Mall [Update]

The 16-year-old Upper Moreland boy who at Willow Grove Park mall on Wednesday was smoking synthetic marijuana, according to Abington Police Deputy Chief John Livingood.

“We have determined through an investigation that he had been smoking what we believe was synthetic marijuana — a chemical currently legally sold, but that we believe  state legislature is very close to having banned,” Livingood said this afternoon.

Livingood wouldn’t describe the substance, other than it being “synthetic.”

The boy, who hasn’t been identified, was taken to Abington Memorial Hospital and suffered “very serious injuries,” in the fall, Livingood said. Livingood said he did not know from which area in the parking lot the boy jumped.

According to a June 15 Abington Police press release, the boy got out of his car and ran “full speed and leaped off of the deck.”

Linda Millevoi, director of media relations at Abington Memorial Hospital, said yesterday, "The family is requesting that we not release any information [regarding the incident]."

Livingood said today that the boy was recently transferred to another hospital.

According to Livingood, the 16 year old was with friends — a boy and two girls, whose ages range from 15 to 16.

No one in the incident is being charged, Livingood said.

From the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s website:

“Over the past year, smokable herbal blends marketed as being ‘legal’ and providing a marijuana-like high, have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults.  These products consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and over the Internet.  These chemicals, however, have not been approved by the FDA for human consumption and there is no oversight of the manufacturing process.  Brands such as ‘Spice,’ ‘K2,’ ‘Blaze,’ and ‘Red X Dawn’ are labeled as incense to mask their intended purpose."

According to its website, the DEA has received an “increasing number of reports from poison centers, hospitals and law enforcement” regarding synthetic marijuana products since 2009.

To read the whole DEA article, click here.