“Spice” – Not as Fun as it Sounds
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Image courtesy of Coolidge Youth Coalition
Spice—also known as K2, Fake Marijuana, Skunk, and other names—is a synthetic (or man-made) substance made from shredded dried plant materials and chemicals. Spice appears to stimulate the same brain receptors—molecules that recognize specific chemicals and transmit messages into cells—as marijuana does and produces a similar “high.”
Like marijuana, Spice is usually abused by smoking, but it can be prepared as a drink.
Because Spice is marketed as being “natural,” some people may think it’s safe to use. But the ingredients used to make Spice can vary, and no one’s watching to see what people producing Spice are using—meaning the results could have dangerous effects on your body and brain. Some mixtures even contain harmful metal residues.
Nothing Nice
Spice is illegal in the United States and in most European countries. The U.S. Naval Academy recently expelled seven midshipmen
for using it.
Spice products are labeled “not fit for human consumption” and are illegal in the United States and most European countries. Its side effects, like the ingredients, often vary, but emergency rooms report seeing people with rapid heart rates, vomiting, agitation, and hallucinations.
Using Spice can lead to abuse and even addiction as the body builds up tolerance to the drug’s effects over time and craves a higher dose to achieve the same effect.
So, SBB’s recommendation? Get your highs the natural way: exercise, friends, music, whatever you like to do—without altering your brain’s chemistry!
“Get your highs the natural way: exercise, friends, music, whatever you like to do—without altering your brain’s chemistry!”
That’s right kid’s we don’t want you drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco either.
Side effects of alcohol include nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness, liver and heart damage, brain damage, lethargy, loss of inhibitions and death.
Altering your brain chemistry is dangerous, don’t do it.
It is far better to relax often and enhance your bodies own healing and rush system. We have ebnough energy to feel as good as we want [commercial link removed, per guidelines]
Very helpful, thanks!
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very interesting this is helpful stuff
this is amazin
i thin this is interresting and dont do it people out there its already bad enough in the world
drugs suck thanks for help
Drugs are awful. NEVER DO THEM! Not that i have, but what ive learned. They screw up your whole life. Why would you screw up your life just to fell a little bit better?! I mean seriously, its stupid! Thats my personal opinion! Good luck to everyone:D
“So, SBB’s recommendation? Get your highs the natural way:”
alright. Natural. soooooo marijuana.
Spice is definitely synthetic in nature. It’s cause for lung cancer is much higher than other drugs.
[commercial link removed, per guidelines]
You dont know what your talking about…it legal in the US
The chemicals that give the marijuana like high in spice, were made Illegal this year.
Cannabicyclohexanol, and CP-47 497 C8 Homologue, are just two examples
@daef Ha! Well, that’s really not what we had in mind, since drugs, whether or not they’re derived from plants (e.g., cocaine) are still artificial ways of getting your dose of “happy.”
If it’s illegal in the US how can the smoke shops be selling it?
Cannabicyclohexanol, and CP-47 497 C8: Speaking on these ingredients funny how all the “Spice” sold around where I live the label is clearly marked that those ingredients are not in there…
@LilyDi You bring up two important points. First, “Spice” is a term used to describe many different substances marketed under many different names. Because of the variations, “spice” itself is not illegal. However, several compounds that were (and maybe still are) in some “Spice” are currently illegal. This includes CP-47,497 C8 and cannabicyclohexanol. (As of March 1, 2011, these compounds have been temporarily placed in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act.) To your other point, while the label may list ingredients, the amounts vary greatly from product to product, and the label doesn’t always list all of the ingredients. It may include CP-47,497 C8 and cannabicyclohexanol, or any number of other dangerous ingredients. Unless you have the substance tested by a lab, there is no way to know what is actually in the “Spice.” Good for you for reading the labels! You might also note that many containers are labeled “not for human consumption.”
Drugs are bad, mmk?
Ok soo smoking any kind of posh is sooo stupid if yu wana get high smoke marijuana it won’t kill yu er give yu heart attacks yu never hear doctor reports like yu do for k2 posh ect. If yu wana relax an enjoy marijuana is natural an not has intense as k2 posh ect. I kno because felt like I was goin to die when I smoked it an I wud never do it again I’ll stick to the natural they shud banned any type of posh k2 in Ohio because stores still sell it an I dnt think thats cool at all they jua need to get rid of itt period !!!!!
OK on this it says and I quote “Spice products are labeled “not fit for human consumption” and are illegal in the United States and most European countries.” If this is being said then why is this herb or spice (no matter what the name) being sold in shops still!!!! REALLY… GET THIS [expletive deleted, per guidelines] OUT OF STORES!!!! There is stuff being sold called 7H 4:20 at one of my local tobacco shops which kids in my area have come in contact with. This stuff causes black-outs, time lose, memory lose, panic attacks, hallucinations, and many more affects. I ASK AGAIN WHY CAN THIS STUFF BE LEGALLY SOLD IN STORES, GAS STATIONS, INTERNET, ETC.!!!!! I am a very concerned mother and no matter what you want to call this stuff it is causing an increase in concern and questions being raised on who is profiting from these sales??? I am against drugs but if you want to debate I have one for you “If they are selling this stuff in shops and the packet says legal in all 50 states then why not legalize the real stuff??” The reason I am saying this is because this chemically enhanced stuff that is being sold in shops is worse for our kids then the real natural grow stuff that has been growing on our planet (DID ANYONE THINK OF THAT). I am not condoning that marijuana gets legalized by all means but this is a very good question to ask if you think about that.
I have read many different articles about this “SPICE” stuff and I even looked at the background of the chemicals that are used and reports say that some of these chemicals used are worse than THC that is found in marijuana. One article states this: “The chemical compounds typically include HU-210, HU-211, JWH-018, and JWH-073 (but there are many other chemical compounds) commonly purchased in head shops, tobacco shops, various retail outlets, and over the Internet. It is often marketed as incense or “fake weed.” Purchasing over the Internet can be dangerous because it is not usually known where the products come from or what amount of chemical is on the organic material. http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/drug_data_sheets/K2_Spice.pdf” DOES THAT LOOK LIKE THIS STUFF IS ILLEGAL???? Oh I take that back one or two particular packages or packaging is illegal..
How much more research and or evidence is need to know that this stuff is very bad and is affecting our kids (weather you want to admit it or even if you really know if they have touched it) before these products are removed from shelves and the Internet and ban for good. You can’t just take one type off the market and make it illegal when you have many other brands and types out there that are doing the same thing if not worse – what just because they don’t put the real names of the chemicals on the packets, or cover up what chemicals are really in that particular package!!! BAN ALL “SPICE”, “POTPOURRI”, “GANJA” “FAKE WEED”, “WACKY WEED”, “BLISS”, “BLACK MAMBA”, “BOMBAY BLUE”, “7H”, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, IT’S THE SAME ALL AROUND. How much more are we going to allow these manufacturers of these products to lie and cover up what are really in these products. How many more kids, or even adults will it take to get these products illegalized, what will it take major mental damaged or even physical damaged and what type of impaired matters(killing themselves or others)? WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THE Office of National Drug Control Policy, the component of the Executive Office of the President (ONDCP) TO PUT A BAN ON THESE PRODUCTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ALL ILLEGALIZED? Oh I know, maybe for one of their kids or loved ones to die from it, then maybe all of these legal “Spice” products would be illegal and not just a specific kind!
Get serious and really think about this: who is profiting from these sales because it’s not just the producers of the product or the stores who’s selling it!!!!
ok let me clear some things up… one spice is legal in the united states.
second i have smoked spice many times before and i cannot stress how underestimated and dangerous this drug is. i have tripped hard enough off of this drug to the point i literally thought i was going to die. will i ever smoke it again i really cant say but for anyone out there that does smoke this or is thinking about starting dont try it trust me on this its powerful and i mean its like zeus and mike tyson had a love child and now the kid is roid raging on your brain.
my friend is hooked on this spice, she wakes up in middle of night craving this [expletive deleted, per guidelines]. i tried it once it laid me on floor, my heart was beating so fast, i could not function. anything man made…NOT GOOD!!! BEER, CIGS, SPICE ETC. Another way for our youth to get high….really sad! ive heard young people say ,,”but i can smoke this and still pass drug test”!!
“Spice” is a serious problem which the DEA and Congress are trying to deal with. It is a difficult to control due to the many different types, the wide variety of ingredients, and the many names it is sold as. On Thursday, December 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Synthetic Drug Control Act which, if it becomes law, would ban synthetic drugs such as “bath salts,” “spice” and “K2.”
I have smoked marijuana for 43 yrs and never had any ill effects from it,and my wife has smoked it for yrs,most of my family has.And now since it is illeagal ,and you have to pass a drug test,we turned to the fake Marijauna..We too have had these symptoms. I still don’t understand why the government won’t legalize marijauna. Just like in the days of prohibition,people were dying from bad alcohol. At least if they legalize it,they can regulate it, and people would’nt be dying trying to smuggle it out of Mexico, oh yea,think of the taxes from it. Not to mention our kids dying from fake drugs. What I think it is, the money they confiscate when they bust drug dealers,and the resale value is very high,since they got it free. Just think, no more kids dying in the alley ways, hiding trying to buy a weed!!
But we’re gonna keep booze ans smokes which we already know for sure kills you.Who cares about this [expletive deleted, per guidelines]. dumb
The effects of AM-2201 also appear to differ from natural cannabis and the first generation synthetic cannabinoids, both to start and as tolerance builds. Initially the effects are quite similar, although doses for AM-2201 are approximately a third of JWH-018. This has resulted in many reports of self-reported “seasoned” synthetic cannabinoid users having anxiety reactions as a result of apparent overdose due to increased sensitivity to inaccurate measurement.
DO NOT SMOKE SPICE! I can not stress this enough. I had quit doing drugs completely and went to Hawaii and a friend got me to try it. At first it was cool but after one day of smoking a good amount of it, it threw me into what I want to call a really bad panic attack. It felt like I was trying to black out but I kept fighting it. I thought I was dying or having a heart attack and my friend started puking. Ever since then I have been paranoid as hell I have had panic attacks a few times after this, I get head aces, and my mental state is still not the same. I’m paranoid all the time now about my health and well being. I’ve become a huge hypochondriac if I get a head ace i think it’s a tumor or something crazy. DO NOT SMOKE IT! If you think your kids are doing it search their rooms. It’s very dangerous and unsafe.
Ok everybody, I’ve been seeing some comments where people say smoke marijuana instead of spice. I say DON’T SMOKE AT ALL YOU DING DONGS! Smoking, drinking and drugs in general are sooooo not good for you. Yes, you’ll get a high for a while, and it may feel good (I don’t know personally), but after a while, your body will be wanting it just to feel normal, not to get a high. The reason is because after the drug stops having any effect, then you’ll feel worse than you ever have before. It’s NOT cool or fun.
Something really needs to be done about this stuff!! It’s a shame that we have to watch our loves ones being destroyed from this deadly drug… I have seen my brother loos his mind. He has crashed up his car, launched out in the streets, fighting people, becoming very aggressive and not realizing what he has done after his high has come down. We all need to come together and protest this crap off teh market. If this stuff they call K-2, Spice, or watever the devil’s death wish is illegal in the U.S. then these folks selling it needs to be charged for the crime of our love ones. It’s all about the money for them, they could care less about any of us loosing a mother, brother, sister, father, son or daughter. Let’s stop this deadly drug before it take all our family memebers out of this world. God is good and prayer does help chang things. ” No weapon formed against us shall prosper”……Let’s make a change!!!!!!
posh can kill you so dont even try it one time
this world is already messed up as it is especally people and no matter what one says about “not even once” people still do it so whats the point
Don’t do spice I’m literally crying right now the drug [expletive deleted, per guidelines] me over right now…. One hit and I was gone things kept repeating itself like my life would fast forward but then explode then repeat over and over…Im only 16 and I thought I was dying it lasted for 2 hours…. But felt like days I thought I went I lost it. Brain wanted to exploded like swells nonstop so I’m begging don’t try it all….
not matter how many times you say NOT EVEN ONCE teenagers are still gonna try it but whats the point of saying if there not ganna listen