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| A "Potpourri" package |
Names: Originally
sold by international distributers under the names “K2 ”
and “Spice”, these products are now found throughout the Midwest under many brand names, often
described as “herbal incense” or “potpourri”.
It is sold widely on the Internet and often in gas stations and “head
shops”.
Appearance: A ground,
potpourri-like mixture of vegetable matter, often processed to resemble marijuana.
Regularly sold in professionally packaged, brightly colored units as small as 1
to 2 grams or as large as an ounce.
Promised Effects:
These products usually claim to be made of all natural plant ingredients
and promise a legal, relaxing high similar to that associated with marijuana. Some users also rely on the fact that these
products do not cause a positive result on commonly used drug tests.
The Truth: It's worse than the "real thing"! Though
sometimes containing herbs that may have very mild properties, the bulk of the
effects are caused by laboratory-made chemicals such as JWH-018 and HU-210 that
can mimic the effects of THC (the main psychoactive component of marijuana).
These chemicals, called Synthetic Cannabinoids, are sprayed on the plant based
ingredients prior to packaging. Because
of the methods used, different packages of the product can contain greatly
varied amounts of the drug. Thus, one
user may experience little effect, while another may receive a large dose,
sometimes with disastrous results.
In addition to the expected high, these Synthetic
Cannabinoids can cause effects not normally associated with marijuana, such as a dangerously increased heart rate, agitation, terrified confusion, nausea and vomiting. Heart
attacks and seizures have also been reported.
Researchers have noted that some Synthetic Cannabinoids may be more
likely to trigger psychotic episodes than THC, an effect that has been seen by ER physicians in southwest Missouri.
Some Spice-like products may also contain other synthetic
drugs in addition to those described above.
Personal Notes from the Field: For a number of our patients in southwest Missouri this drug has been a particularly cruel trick. Expecting nothing more than a fun, giddy high, they instead end up in our Emergency Departments, confused, terrified, heart pounding and vomiting. I will never forget one young man I personally took care of whose seizures were so powerful that he required general anesthesia and had to be placed on a ventilator to get him through the ordeal. He most certainly never asked to end up as he did.
Find out more about K2, Spice and Synthetic Cannabinoids at:
