Pubdate: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2011 The Dallas Morning News, Inc. Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Curtis Rath Note: Curtis Rath of McKinney is a former candidate for city council and a frequent blogger on local issues. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/K2 FAKE CRISIS OVER A FAKE DRUG Across our nation, elected officials and the media are lamenting the latest scourge plaguing our nation, K2. Introduced in 2000, K2 is a blend of herbs sprayed with synthetic marijuana and sold as incense printed with the warning: "Not for Human Consumption." Although there have been no official studies of the product, Clemson University Professor John W. Huffman, who first synthesized these chemicals, says, "People who use it are idiots." And, "It's like playing Russian roulette. You don't know what it's going to do to you." In a recent Dallas Morning News guest column, two elected officials claim that their efforts to ban K2 will give "school districts the legal means to discipline students who are in possession of the drug." It is difficult for me to understand how this action does anything beyond publicizing the substance, consequently increasing its popularity and potential danger. The K2-related calls to U.S. poison centers skyrocketed from 13 in 2009 to more than 2,500 in 2010. As a result, the Drug Enforcement Agency made an emergency declaration that made the drugs illegal while officials decide what to do about them. In the guest column, the two Texas city council members strongly imply that the death of 30-year-old Ryan Justice was a direct result of smoking K2, stating that Justice was shot and killed when he pointed an unloaded rifle at arriving officers. The truth, as reported by the Austin Chronicle , is that Justice showed up at the home of his ex-wife after proclaiming his desire to "die at the hands of the police," just like his best friend had done. In addition to the synthetic marijuana, Justice's blood showed traces of prescription antidepressants and a blood alcohol level of .28, nearly four times the legal limit and near the fatal level of .35. It seems unlikely that K2 played a significant role in this tragedy. The death of a Lake Highlands teenager last year was also falsely attributed to K2. The two city council members say that K2 has potential side effects of "hallucinations, vomiting, panic attacks, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, pallor, numbness and tingling, disorientation, loss of time awareness, and, in some cases, tremors and seizures." K2 is not unique in having side effects. "Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); black or bloody stools; confusion; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; hearing loss; ringing in the ears; severe or persistent stomach pain; unusual bruising; vomiting." Those are the potential side effects from the drug known on the street as aspirin. K2 is not the only "not for human consumption" product that is being abused. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition estimates that one out of five children will get high off of some kind of inhalant before the eighth grade. There are literally thousands of potential products that can be abused, such as typewriter correction fluid, air-conditioning refrigerant, felt-tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane and even cooking spray. If the NIPC estimates are correct, these common household products are a much greater problem than K2. When compared to the prevalence of marijuana and alcohol, all of this bluster about K2 seems akin to trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun. So, if making new laws is not the answer, what is? My suggestion is education. Our parents and schools do not need more government intrusion to teach our kids about the dangers of drugs - both legal and illegal. I have the faith that most kids will make good decisions when they have all the facts. It is the adults who are having trouble keeping their facts straight. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake