Pubdate: Tue, 04 Jun 2013
Source: Daily Examiner, The (Australia)
Copyright: APN News & Media Ltd 2013
Contact: http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/contact/feedback/
Website: http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5379
Author: Lachlan Thompson

WORSE SYMPTOMS THAN MARIJUANA

WHAT started as an attempt to quit cannabis ended with a Clarence 
Valley mother driving her hysterical daughter to the emergency room.

A young life pushed to the brink, a mother desperate and, believe it 
or not, the drug that caused it is totally legal.

Synthetic cannabis was supposed to help a Clarence Valley woman, aged 
22, 'give up' marijuana.

Yesterday, the woman's mother told of driving her distraught daughter 
to hospital and said synthetic cannabis, available over the counter 
in Grafton shops, nearly drove the daughter to suicide.

The Daily Examiner learned at least two shops in Grafton sell the 
product, which is legal but now under parliamentary scrutiny because 
of its devastating impact on health.

The daughter is now undergoing treatment in a Gold Coast 
rehabilitation facility.

Her mother felt she had to warn others of the potential effects of 
the substance, sold as "herbal incense".

She said her daughter had a lengthy history of cannabis abuse and 
started using synthetic cannabis to try to break her addiction to 
marijuana about six months ago.

"I wasn't aware of how bad it was and she said she was smoking it to 
try to kick the habit," the mother said.

"It wasn't until she started getting hooked and becoming really 
verbally abusive when she couldn't get it that I realised how serious 
the problem was.

"We were driving along and she couldn't stop crying and I drove her 
to the emergency room of the hospital in Coffs Harbour.

"She said she couldn't deal with it any more and couldn't keep going.

"When we got to the hospital the nurse said synthetic cannabis was 
far worse than normal cannabis, the withdrawal symptoms are far more 
dangerous and it's more addictive."

When confronted with having to quit, the daughter asked to leave.

The mother drove her daughter back to Grafton but became so alarmed 
by her withdrawal symptoms, she bought her a bag of the synthetic 
dope in Grafton. "I was alarmed by how easy it was to buy," she said. 
"I think the people selling it have a lot to answer for and maybe if 
it was not so readily available things would not have been so bad."

The shops selling the product would not comment when approached 
yesterday and we have not named them to avoid advertising where it is sold.

The mother urged any shops selling synthetic cannabis to have a think 
about what they were doing.

"It may be a legal product but that does not make it right," she said.

Her daughter's withdrawal symptoms included stomach cramps, vomiting 
and hallucinations.
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