New Report on Effects of Synthetic Marijuana

By Vincent Iannelli, M.D., About.com Guide March 19, 2012

Although it has been available since 2006, synthetic marijuana has just recently been growing in popularity in the last few years.

Synthetic marijuana or fake weed was sold as a legal alternative to marijuana, although it is usually just marketed as incense and not a marijuana like product. Another misleading point is that these products, sold under brands names such as Spice, K2, Blaze, Black Mamba, and Red X Dawn, are not as natural as they are made to seem. While these products are mostly made up of a variety of dried plant and herbal materials, they are also sprayed with a synthetic cannabinoid substance that mimics the effects of the THC, the primary psychoactive component in real marijuana.

Unfortunately, as more teens have been using synthetic marijuana, reports to hospitals and poison control centers have been increasing.

A new report that will appear in the April issue of Pediatrics, "Clinical Presentation of Intoxication Due to Synthetic Cannabinoids," describes three teens with signs and symptoms of synthetic marijuana intoxication, including:

http://pediatrics.about.com/b/2012/03/19/new-report-on-effects-of-synthetic-marijuana.htm