Considered a legal alternative to cannabis, synthetic marijuana is creating controversy surrounding its safety.
Fifteen states banned smoke shops from selling K2 Spice, the most popular synthetic marijuana brand, because of reports that users experienced intense nausea, increased heart rate and seizures.
Albuquerque user Gabriella Pedregon, 19, said the experience was intense, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She said she first smoked Spice with a friend who was on probation.
“It really put you out of it for a while, like crazy,” she said. “Like really good weed, you are really, really up there. Then you come down. It also tastes horrible, like wood.”
Legal steps to ban K2 Spice in New Mexico have only reached the county level. The City of Farmington and Luna County banned the product from being sold. So far, no bills have been introduced into the New Mexico Legislature that permit a state-wide ban.
Tara Mistra, of UNM Health Sciences Center, said introducing chemicals into the body in order to achieve a high is never a good idea. She said students looking for stress relief should find chemical-free means of relaxation.
“I would encourage students to turn to doing some meditation or just reading a book,” she said. “I would certainly advise against using Spice, and maybe trying some more holistic ways to feel better. I think that these are better alternatives and less expensive than Spice.”
In local smoke shops, K2 Spice is sold as herbal or botanical incense, because of Drug Enforcement Administration regulations. It comes in bright, tea-bag-sized packages and is sold under colorful names like King Kong, Route 69, Texas Tea, Mystic Monkey Potpourri and iBlown.
Each brand says it won’t show up on a drug test, and University Smoke Shop representative Alex Demooy said that’s one reason the product is in demand “Most people who want it are on probation,” he said. “They don’t want to test positive.”
Prices range from $8-$15 a gram. Most packs contain two to five grams.
The DEA is taking steps to ban the synthetic cannabinoids that mimic THC’s side effects.
The active ingredient in Spice that makes users feel high is Cannabicyclohexanol, according to a 2009 study from the University of Freiburg in Germany.
Simbola said he didn’t experience any side effects after smoking Spice, but said he has a high tolerance to marijuana.
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“Honestly, it tastes like you smoked a plant,” he said. “It’s easily available, and it’s cheaper. You honestly just need a little bit to get high.”
Manufacturers change the composition of their products because legally the product cannot be chemically similar to THC. Pfizer created synthetic cannabinoid JWH 018, according to WebMD.com.
The synthetic cannabinoids bind to the body’s cannabinoid receptors tighter than THC because, while THC only partially binds to regulators of body function, most of the synthetic cannabinoids activate the receptor fully, according to the website.
