A few years ago if someone mentioned K2, you would automatically think about the second highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest.  Now the mention of K2 conjures up the image of synthetic marijuana.  Also commonly referred to as Spice, synthetic marijuana is becoming increasingly more popular because it is legal in most states and it has similar effects on the user as marijuana does.  Some users experience a “high” similar to that of marijuana while others report a much stronger sensation.

Many are turning to this substance so they can continue to get high but also so they will be able to pass a drug test.  This may be true but the risk that you are taking far outweighs the benefits.  Most of the synthetic marijuana sold does not list the chemicals that are used on the packaging label so you can’t be sure what you are ingesting.  Some of the chemicals used in these products have potential for long term damage to your brain.  Since most of the herbs treated with these chemical are sprayed on various herbs, there is no uniformity to the dosage and you could end up with a weak batch or a very strong batch.  It can be hit or miss with each batch.  With the synthetic marijuana you can experience side effects like increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, panic attacks and even hallucinations. There have been some reports of people attempting suicide after using this product, but like anything else, the frame of mind a person is in when ingesting any substance may be a contributing factor.

The problem with synthetic marijuana is that currently there is no home drug test kit to detect it.  New technology is just around the corner for a hair drug test, or urine drug test or saliva drug test for this “new” pot. Some labs have already promoted clinical drug tests that can determine some of the chemicals in synthetic marijuana in urine drug tests. On March 1, 2011 five synthetic cannibinoids used in synthetic marijuana have been made illegal in the United States.  These are JWH-018, JWH-073, CP-47,497, JWH-200 and bicannabicyclohexanol.  Be careful what you smoke because you never know what you’ll get.