Pubdate: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 Source: Randolph Reporter (US NJ) Copyright: 2010 Recorder Community Newspapers Contact: http://newjerseyhills.com/submissions/ Website: http://newjerseyhills.com/randolph_reporter/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5187 Author: Phil Garber LEGAL 'MARIJUANA' RAISES LOCAL CONCERNS Law enforcement and drug treatment agencies are stepping up alerts for the newest drug to begin sweeping the country. The drug is typically marketed as incense or potpourri and known by such names as "K2," "Spice," "Genie," "Yucatan Fire," "Sence," "Smoke," "Skunk" and "Zohai." It produces a similar high of marijuana but the problem for law enforcement and others is that it is synthetic and completely legal in New Jersey and can be easily obtained in smoke shops and on the Internet. Detective John Walker, the narcotics officer in Mount Olive, said individuals cannot be charged for possession or use of synthetic marijuana. But they can be charged if they are found driving under the influence of the drug. People also can be charged with excessive use of synthetic marijuana under the so-called "huffing" statute that also applies to such materials as nitrous oxide and glue. "Kids think they're home free with the synthetic marijuana but they're not," Walker said. Walker said too many people are willing to try virtually any kind of chemical if they think they will get a high. He said he is not surprised that individuals will inhale synthetic marijuana without knowing its actual contents or effects. The most distressing example he has seen of such careless actions was a young man who was stopped in Mount Olive several years ago and found inhaling gasoline fumes through a a tube that was connected to a can of gasoline. Lack Of Studies There have been no long term studies of the health effects of synthetic marijuana but officials have warned that it is impossible to know the ingredients in the synthetic marijuana and that serious side effects have been reported. The Daytop drug rehab program in Mendham reported one high school youth who suffered seizures after smoking K2. The N.J. Poison and Information and Education Center has had similar calls while the American Association of Poison Control Centers has reports of more than 900 calls to poison control centers in 49 states, including New Jersey, since July. Complaints have included fast, racing heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, nausea, paranoia, hallucinations and psychotic episodes. "It is easy to order over the Internet or in smoke shops but the long term effects are unclear," said Ian Gershman, vice president of treatment at Daytop. "We've begun seeing it in the last few months." Gershman also said it is difficult to monitor use of synthetic marijuana because it does not show up on drug screens. "It is very, very difficult to monitor and we will be asking more questions at intake," Gershman said. Yet another difficulty for law enforcement is that the synthetic marijuana does not have the distinctive sweet smell of burning marijuana but instead smells like cloves, according to Chester Township Sgt. Tom Williver. "We're trained to pick up the smell of marijuana so we might not notice the synthetic marijuana," said Williver, who is the department's certified drug recognition expert. "It seems that everything migrates from California and it's coming here," Williver said. "If they're under the influence and can't drive, we'll arrest them. But if not, it's not illegal, so what can we do?" Dr. Steven Marcus, medical director of the N.J. Poison Information and Education System, said the problem facing authorities is that new illicit drugs are frequently developed. "As fast as we get a handle on a designer drug and the DEA lists it as illegal, some chemist finds a way to get around the rules," Marcus said. Synthetic marijuana, however, is not yet on the radar screen of some police. In Washington Township, Lt. Arthur Adams said he wasn't certain if there have been any reports of the drug while Mendham Township Chief Steven Crawford said he had not heard of K2. Purchasing synthetic marijuana is as simple as visiting a so-called "head shop" or doing a Google Internet search. Dozens of companies advertise K2 or similar products as incense selling at relatively low prices. One offers "K2 Cherry" for $29.96 for three grams. Another promises three grams of "K2 Summit" for $19.99. Some websites have the caveat that they won't ship K2 to states with prohibitions on its sale. One site claims to be the "official K2 website" with "over 40 million grams sold worldwide since 2009." There also are bargains offered like one site that promises a free, three-gram pack for every order over $70. "Stock up while the product is available," the site says. "Get the good stuff here." John Huffman, a Clemson University chemist, first synthesized marijuana in the mid-1990s. He called his new substance JWH-018, which is structurally similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to press reports. Since then the substance has been sprayed on incense and sold to be inhaled or smoked. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency lists K2 as a "drug or chemical of concern" but it is not a "scheduled" drug and therefore is not illegal. K2 is illegal in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Missouri. Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and New York are also considering a ban on K2. The substance also is banned in Britain, Germany, Poland and France. Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, R-Monmouth, introduced legislation in May to ban the use of K2 along with three cannabis-like chemical compounds used to make the synthetic substance. "Make no mistake, Spice or K2 poses an alarming and significant danger to users," said Angelini, who is executive director of Prevention First, a nonprofit agency that provides substance abuse prevention programs to youth in Monmouth County. She said K2 is the new drug of choice among teenagers. "Having worked in substance abuse prevention for a good part of my life, I know all to well the damaging effects marijuana and other abused drugs have on users," she continued. "There's every reason to believe the effects of synthetic marijuana are just as harmful. She said she hopes for action on the bill this year. A spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., people are at risk and use K2 only because marijuana is illegal. "The only reason anyone uses K2 is because marijuana - one of the safest psychoactive substances on earth - is illegal," said Mike Meno, a spokesman for the project which supports legalization of marijuana. "The problem is, we don't yet know the full health effects of K2, because they haven't been studied. Marijuana, on the other hand, is perhaps the most studied plant in history, one which former DEA law judge Francis Young once said "in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." " - --- MAP posted-by: Matt