Nothing is permanent they say. ‘They’ perhaps are not aware of the term ‘synthetic marijuana’, which doesn’t seem to go anywhere.
This time (yet again) Northern Alabama has fallen prey to this menace as the public health and law enforcement agencies have reported a sharp uptick in overdoses related to the same.
As of now, the exact numbers haven’t been made public. But according to local reports, there is a distinct uptick in the number of overdoses and hospitalizations linked to synthetic cannabis. At present, the spike is prominent in the northern half of Alabama.
“We have begun to notice a disturbing trend through our crime intelligence networks of overdoses related to synthetic cannabis in our district,” Town said. “Today we are joining together with our law enforcement partners to warn the general public that the use of any synthetic illegal narcotic, viz. fentanyl, synthetic marijuana and other opioids, could result in fatal overdose by the user,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Clay Morris, and Northern District U.S. Attorney, Jay Town, in a joint statement.
This time the authorities are more cautious as a similar incident had plagued the state in 2015. That year, nearly 900 people had arrived in the emergency rooms, out of which 196 were hospitalized. Unfortunately, 5 of them even lost their lives.
“Clearly the public has forgotten about that,” DEA Agent Morris told local news source AL (.com)
What exactly is Synthetic Marijuana?
Synthetic marijuana, which is known by a variety of names like Black Mamba, Spice, K2, Genie, etc, isn’t any weed. It’s just a mixture of synthetically-synthesized cannabinoids sprayed over some shredded plant material. Once this is done, other chemicals are added to the mix which may even include things like rat poison and pesticides.
This doppelganger is usually made to produce the same effects as real marijuana. But, owing to other chemicals, it ends up being an enemy in disguise. The harmful effects that one may experience after consuming it, include elevated blood pressure and heart rate, extreme anxiety, hyperactive behavior, muscle spasms, seizures, hallucinations, etc.
