Pubdate: Sat, 25 Apr 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Star Advertiser
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Author: Alan Schwarz, New York Times

OFFICIALS FEAR ILLICIT DRUG IS MORE POTENT, POPULAR

A sharp rise in visits to emergency rooms and calls to poison control 
centers nationwide has health officials fearing that more potent and 
dangerous variations of a popular drug known as spice have reached 
the nation's streets.

In the first three weeks of April, state poison control centers 
received about 1,000 reports of adverse reactions to spice - the 
street name for a family of synthetic substances that mimic the 
effects of marijuana - more than doubling the total from January 
through March, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

The cases, which can involve spice alone or in combination with other 
substances, have appeared four times as often this year as in 2014, 
the organization said.

Health departments in Alabama, Mississippi and New York have issued 
alerts this month about more spice users being rushed to hospitals 
experiencing extreme anxiety, violent behavior and delusions, with 
some cases resulting in death. Similar increases have occurred in 
Arizona, Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

The total number of fatalities nationwide this year is not available, 
health officials said.

"We had one hospital in the Baton Rouge area that saw over 110 cases 
in February. That's a huge spike," said Dr. Mark Ryan, director of 
the Louisiana Poison Center. "When one of these new ingredients - 
something that's more potent and gives a bigger high - is released 
and gets into distribution, it can cause these more extreme effects."

Experts were unsure whether the increase this month in spice-related 
emergencies reflected greater use of the drug or a particularly 
dangerous formulation. Ryan said a large portion of cases appeared to 
involve a form called mab-chminaca.

State and federal law enforcement agencies have struggled to control 
the flow of synthetic cannabinoids, marijuana-looking substances that 
are sprayed with a hallucinogenic chemical and then smoked. Those 
chemicals, typically imported from China by U.S. distributors, come 
in hundreds of varieties; new formulations appear monthly, with 
molecules subtly tweaked to try to skirt the DEA's list of illegal 
drugs as well as drug-detecting urine tests.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom