Pubdate: Sun, 01 Apr 2012
Source: Times, The (Gainesville, GA)
Copyright: 2012 Gainesville Times
Contact:  http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2701
Author: Lee Johnson

STATE OUTLAWS SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA, WHICH CARRIES POTENTIAL DANGERS

Many Use the Narcotic Because It Is Convenient, Easy to Buy

Synthetic marijuana is illegal in Georgia - again.

Last week, Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law a bill outlawing "all 
forms of synthetic marijuana."

Senate Bill 370 - Chase's Law, in memory of Chase Burnett, a 
16-year-old from Fayette County who drowned in a hot tub after 
smoking the drug commonly referred to "spice" - is aimed at 
successfully curbing a drug that has seen a rampant increase in 
usage, especially among young people.

But state law makers have attempted such legislation before - with 
little success.

The first generation of synthetic marijuana, or "herbal incense" as 
it's marketed in head shops and gas stations, was banned by the state 
last year. That law targeted specific cannabinoid compounds present 
in popular brands like "K2" or "Spice."

Those compounds, JWH-018 or HU-210 for example, bind to the same 
receptors in the body as delta-9-tetrahydracannabinol, or THC, the 
main psychoactive component of marijuana. The compounds are added to 
a variety of dried plant substances, creating synthetic marijuana.

But the "incense" industry began to change those compounds slightly, 
sidestepping the law to keep their products on store shelves.

The second generation of the product is what Chase's Law looks to 
stop, while preventing a third generation by generalizing the 
language in an attempt to identify the main compound and outlawing it 
and any derivative.

"Last year we tried to identity all the compounds we could possibly 
think of and, I think, we did a pretty good job," said state Sen. 
Buddy Carter, who sponsored the bill. "But all the bad guys did was 
come up with some variation of it to get by. But this year we decided 
to try this other way - to identify just the base compound."

He believes the new language will aid in the permanent removal and 
enforcement of the drug.

"This gives law enforcement much more latitude to enforce the law and 
get these products off our convenience store shelves," he said.

But the question people familiar with the drug are asking is if the 
new law will effectively put a stop to the sale of synthetic marijuana.

"As soon as they make it illegal, (manufacturers will) make a new one 
and call it a different name and put a different picture on the 
package and that's how they keep doing it," said Jarrod Naylor, a 
resident at The 3D Life, a local residential program for troubled 
young men. "Then that one is made illegal and they do it again. It's 
all the same stuff though."

Naylor and housemate Ethan Vance are all too familiar with "spice," 
and its dangers.

"For long-term use, it's just as bad as any other drug: meth, 
cocaine, anything like that," said Vance, who used to be a frequent 
spice smoker and former meth addict. "I thought since it's legal, it 
must not be that bad. But when I got off of it, I realized it was 
just as bad and I had all the same symptoms (as meth)."

The two are not alone. According to the National Institute on Drug 
Abuse, one in nine high school seniors in 2011 reported using the drug.

Popularity on the rise What the community is left with are unanswered 
questions and children in the hospital.

Lt. Col. Kevin Jarrard, commandant at Riverside Military Academy, 
said he has put cadets in the hospital without knowing if they would 
live or not. One, he said, had a heart rate of more than 200 beats per minute.

The usage from cadets, he said, has increased dramatically over the 
past 30 months, something he attributes to its former legal status 
and easy access.

"Hall County is going to bury a teenager from this," he said. "I hope 
it doesn't take a funeral to make people realize."

The product, formerly available in convenience stores and head shops 
like Smoke and More on John Morrow Parkway in Gainesville, is 
marketed for nonhuman use.

Store attendants at Smoke and More declined comment on the advice of 
their attorney. They also declined to give their names.

The store owner did not return a phone message as of press time and 
the company's email inbox was full. "It's the simplest drug to get," 
Vance said. "It's easier than getting alcohol."

Since the drug is fairly new to the narcotics landscape, not much is 
known about its long-term effects. Short-term side effects include 
seizures, vomiting, irritability and an elevated heart rate and blood 
pressure, among others.

"The effects have been pretty widespread," said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, 
director at the Georgia Poison Center. "They're not the typical kind 
of things you would see with typical marijuana exposure."

The availability, cost, legality and lack of documented side effects 
made the drug a popular choice among the young crowd.

"It was supposed to be just like pot, except it doesn't show up on a 
drug test, it was cheaper, you can get it at a gas station - it was 
convenient," Naylor said. "So me and my buddies got real high on it. 
To us, it just became something convenient. When we couldn't get the 
drugs we were using - pot, pain pills or whatever it was - we would 
just smoke that stuff."

But Naylor began seeing changes in his friends who smoked frequently, 
sometimes four to five times a day. One friend, he remembers, said he 
could feel and notice the changes in his mood and demeanor, but didn't quit.

"He knew what was going on," Naylor said. "He knew that stuff was 
affecting his brain. He said he could feel lots of effects that 
weren't good for him, but he kept using it."

'As bad as any narcotic' Although research on the long-term effects 
of spice are not widely documented, those who were once part of the 
circle of drug users intimately know the consequences.

"I would say this drug could be labeled as a hard drug," Vance said. 
"It's just as bad as any narcotic; it could go on that list."

Those at The 3D Life are not new to synthetic marijuana. In fact, 
they're way ahead of the curve.

"We hear about this stuff way before the government does anything 
about it," said Greg Brooks, director of 3D Life. "And typically 
they're about two years behind the times."

He says the lackadaisical approach that some users take to the drug 
is mind-blowing.

"It's the Russian roulette of drugs right now," Brooks said. "We've 
gotten phone calls from overdose parents saying, 'It was legal. We 
were OK with it because he was going to smoke something and it was 
legal, so we didn't really have a problem until he overdosed and now 
he's laid up in ICU.'"

That's not advertised on the package, all three say.

"We never want to tell our kids to use drugs, but if they're using 
drugs, the last on the list is synthetic marijuana because of the 
effects it immediately has," Brooks said. "You might as well put a 
needle in your arm and shoot up meth."

But the wait synthetic marijuana users will have until the third 
generation hits the stores may not be that long.

According to Smoke and More's Facebook page: "We are still talking to 
manufacturers and attorney's about new Herbal Incense requirements. 
The fact is ... it's already in production; but, everybody is being 
extremely cautious and dotting their i's and crossing their t's. 
Since we have always been above board and only carried legal product 
we are one of those that are being very thorough on what we are going 
to allow in our stores for our customers.

New product will be coming soon which is within the law to keep your 
homes smelling great!"

That quick turnaround in which a new strain could hit the streets 
doesn't surprise anyone familiar with it. After the first generation 
of it was banned, the next was on shelves immediately.

"It wasn't even a day later when they had the new stuff," Vance said. 
"It seemed like they had it in the store waiting."

'It's not a safe option' If, or when, a third generation emerges 
doesn't really matter, says Brooks.

It will not stop the problem.

"This is probably not a real popular statement, but the drug is not 
necessarily the problem," he said. "It's the reasons and the purpose 
behind the drugs that's the issue. It's the lack of parenting, the 
lack of involvement from the parents. Each of these guys that come 
through our program can tell you the same thing. ... Taking the drug 
away or outlawing the drug doesn't fix anything. It's just a Band-Aid 
over one certain drug and (users will) find something else to go do."

A third generation may be along - or maybe it will not - but odds are 
the drug will never fully disappear. And that, Vance and Naylor say, 
is unsettling.

"It's not a safe option," Naylor said. "It's not a better idea ... 
it's not some insignificant thing, you know."

They may be only 18 years old, but both know the consequences 
firsthand. Vance says it's a road that no one should follow.

"The consequences of using this drug over a long period of time are 
unfathomable," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom