{"id":51398,"date":"2018-09-10T12:43:34","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T12:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/?p=51398"},"modified":"2022-11-30T10:20:04","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T15:20:04","slug":"tragedy-in-connecticutan-example-of-the-dangerous-effects-of-k-or-synthetic-marijuana-thc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/blogs\/tragedy-in-connecticutan-example-of-the-dangerous-effects-of-k-or-synthetic-marijuana-thc\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragedy in Connecticut: An Example of the Dangerous Effects of K2 or Synthetic Marijuana (THC)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recently, more than 70 people overdosed on K2, sometimes called synthetic marijuana, in a single day and in a single location, New Haven, Connecticut. K2 overdoses have sharply increased during the past two years according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC warns against labeling K2 as \u201csynthetic marijuana<\/a><\/strong>\u201d because even though it stimulates the same brain receptors as Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it is two to 100 times more powerful and with radically different side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roger Weeks, who was one of those in New Haven when the mass overdose happened, shared his experiences with K2. \u201cThat\u2019s just what I do. That\u2019s my drug of choice\u2026 It\u2019s like a PCP high, and LSD a little bit, it\u2019s an acquired thing, the more you do it the more you like it. Sometimes you get a freak batch a couple of times a year. It\u2019s like Russian Roulette. The addiction draws you back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the changing public opinion toward marijuana, labeling K2 as synthetic marijuana may lead to the perception that the drug is a \u201csafe\u201d alternative to marijuana. The challenge is that all \u201cK2\u201d is not the same, does not affect people the same way and is constantly changing specifically in an attempt to avoid detection at laboratories or allow a user to pass a drug test<\/a><\/strong>. The New Haven incident was one of those \u201cfreak batches\u201d that could be the case at any time and in many cases with much worse results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do some people choose K2?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, it is an alternative they believe will allow them to pass drug tests. Some of the primary goals of drug testing include hiring drug-free candidates, detering substance abuse in the workforce, and assisting individuals in maintaining sobriety through ongoing monitoring during the rehabilitation process. Users may opt for K2 because its chemical components are ever-changing and thus prove challenging to detect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is K2?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the DEA, K2 is a synthetic version of tetrahydrocannabinol<\/strong><\/a> (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, K2\/Spice is a mixture of plant material sprayed with synthetic psychoactive chemicals. Often looks like potpourri and typically labeled \u201cnot for human consumption.” Dangerous to purchase from Internet because its origins and chemical amounts are unknown. The ingredients and strength of products containing synthetic cannabinoids are almost impossible for the user to know. It known by a variety of street names which include Bliss, Black Mamba, Blaze, Bombay Blue, Fake Weed, Legal Weed, Genie, Zohai, Red X, Dawn Scooby Skunk, and Snax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When did it first appear in the US?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was first seen in Europe in 2005 and is thought to have entered the U.S. market in 2008. Originally developed by scientists to study the brain\u2019s naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors but the chemicals made their way to the public through mass-production by clandestine laboratories typically located in foreign countries. The US has passed laws banning many of the compounds used to create K2, but the synthetic cannabinoid industry continues to alter the chemical composition of the drugs they produce to avoid detection stay ahead of the government and the laboratories conducting drug testing. There were 177 different synthetic cannabinoids recorded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)<\/a> in 2014 and many more exist now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to expect and how does K2 affect the body?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, NIDA reported more than 2,000 calls to poison control centers for K2 use and in 2011, hospitals reported more than 28,000 emergency room visits related to K2. Synthetic cannabinoids have a wide range of effects that vary in severity including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, and giddiness
\u2022 Addictive \u2013 Desire for more of the drug
\u2022 Increase in heart rate and blood pressure
\u2022 Convulsions, organ damage, or death
\u2022 Elevated mood, Relaxation, Altered perception
\u2022 Symptoms of psychosis
\u2022 Confusion
\u2022 Some severe side effects may include violent behavior, suicidal thoughts, seizures, and as evidenced by the incident in in New Haven, CT, a high potential for overdose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, employers in the United States (US) face numerous challenges related to drug abuse and mis-use including a resurgence of cocaine and heroin <\/a> use, the continuing problems stemming from the national opioid epidemic, and the constantly changing state medical and recreational marijuana legislation. The clandestine drug manufacturers work hard to elude the law underscoring the need to work harder to help make people aware of how devastating these drugs can be as evidenced by the mass overdoses in New Haven, CT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about testing for synthetic drugs, like K2, Bath Salts, and Synthetic THC as well as other drugs, use the search function on our website or contact us<\/a> at 866-843-4545. Photo Courtesy of the DEA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, more than 70 people overdosed on K2, sometimes called synthetic marijuana, in a single day and in a single location, New Haven, Connecticut. K2 overdoses have sharply increased during the past two years according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC warns against labeling K2 as \u201csynthetic marijuana\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":53608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"50876,55058,50927,51045,51393,50890","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51398"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaldrugscreening.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}