Pubdate: Tue, 06 Mar 2012
Source: Red and Black, The (U of Georgia, GA Edu)
Copyright: 2012 The Red and Black Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact:  http://www.redandblack.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2800
Author: Megan Ingalls

SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA COULD HAVE STRONG SIDE EFFECTS

A local woman's son became "psychotic" last October after smoking a 
substance he purchased legally, according to her testimony at a 
recent Athens-Clarke County Health Department board meeting.

The substance - synthetic marijuana known as "spice" - was a topic of 
discussion at the board meeting Wednesday, when Marla Gray told her 
son's story.

Many of the board members said they had never heard of the drug but 
said they planned on learning more about it and whether it has had a 
significant impact on the county.

Gray's son was released after spending two months in a state mental 
hospital but now has what she called "the mind of a child." Since 
then, she has supported the initiative to ban synthetic marijuana in Athens.

Ingredients in the substance are supposed to mimic the effects of 
Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the component found in marijuana that 
gives people a "high." Because those substances are often different 
combinations of chemicals, the effect they have on the user also 
varies from person to person.

Although some people simply experience a high, others might also 
encounter severe side effects and sometimes brain damage. According 
to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the number of 
calls to poison control centers about synthetic drugs rose from 
roughly 3,200 in 2010 to over 13,000 in 2011.

Georgia initially banned the chemicals used in the product in June 2010.

In Feb. 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a 
year-long emergency ban on the chemicals used to make spice. Last 
month, they extended the ban for six more months, according to a CNN 
article published Feb. 28.

Gray said she thinks the state and the DEA's ban have done little to 
prevent sales of the substance.

"The makers of this stuff have gotten around that ban by putting 
labels on the stuff saying it does not contain any of those chemicals 
and is not for human consumption," she said.

University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said because the 
manufacturers can change one compound in the ingredients to get 
around the law, "inscrupulous business practices" have made it 
difficult to hold people accountable.

Gray's goal is to ban the substance specifically in Athens-Clarke 
County, she said, arguing the state and federal ban have been 
ineffective at keeping spice off the shelves.

Products such as spice are available at various smoke shops and 
convenience stores in Athens. They are marketed as an herbal incense.

Taylor Maddox, a junior environmental health science major from 
Savannah, said she decided to try the substance last August and 
easily found it at a convenience store near North Avenue.

"I just decided to try it because it was legal, and it was receiving 
a lot of media attention," she said.

Maddox said she thinks although people choose to smoke synthetic 
marijuana because it is legal, many people with jobs or internships 
might seek it out because it is not detectable in traditional drug testing.

Gray said her son decided to try spice while he was on probation to 
avoid testing positive for marijuana.

But Williamson said the University has not seen many cases involving the drug.

"Most of our students are buying the real marijuana and the better 
grade marijuana," he said.

Maddox said she did not enjoy the effects of synthetic marijuana.

"You can't process your thoughts, and it tastes really bad," she 
said. "I don't like that it's not natural either."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom