Table of contents:
- What is synthetic marijuana?
- Where did this synthetic marijuana come from?
- What are the effects of consuming synthetic marijuana?
- Make the wearer act like a zombie
Marijuana is one of the most widely used types of drugs in Indonesia. Compared to other types of recreational drugs, the effects of marijuana are considered to be the most benign and have the least health risks. But not so with his new "sister", synthetic marijuana, which recently became popular. The effects of synthetic marijuana are far more dangerous than traditional rolling marijuana - in fact, they have been shown to be deadly.
What is synthetic marijuana?
Despite having the same name, synthetic marijuana is not marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is a mixture of industrial chemicals sprayed on dry leaves and common grass clippings, wrapped in such a way and sold under a variety of pseudonyms - from Hanoman, Ganesha, Thunderbear, Cap Badak, to the most recognizable Cap Gorilla. It is not uncommon for synthetic marijuana to be traded as a rolled unbranded tobacco cigarette.
Synthetic marijuana belongs to a group of drugs called "new psychoactive substances" which fall under the category of class 1 narcotics. New psychoactive substances are unregulated types of psychoactive drugs that have become available on the market and are intended to copy the effects of illegal drugs. In this case, synthetic marijuana mimics the effects of traditional cannabis. But synthetic marijuana can exhibit effects that are up to hundreds of times stronger than just THC in regular marijuana.
Even John W. Huffman, the scientist who pioneered the creation of synthetic marijuana, does not recommend that the general public consume this compound. Basically, synthetic marijuana was not created for human consumption.
Where did this synthetic marijuana come from?
The compound was originally designed over the past 20 years by John William Huffman, a Harvard graduate and professor of organic chemistry at Clemson University, for medical reasons to investigate the effects of cannabis on research animals in controlled laboratories. However these compounds were never intended for human consumption or evaluated for human safety.
In 2008 after the publication of his work, a type of synthetic marijuana called JWH-018 suddenly appeared thousands of miles away in a German forensic laboratory. They named it "Spice" and passed it on to customers curious about this new marijuana.
Sadly, today's marijuana is very easy and fast to make, it is also relatively cheap in terms of production costs. So it didn't take long for street dealers to take advantage of these opportunities and open up new markets for synthetic marijuana.
What are the effects of consuming synthetic marijuana?
The chemicals in today's marijuana work like THC, a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. Both THC and synthetic chemicals bind to the CB1 receptor system in your brain to produce a euphoric effect (a very, very happy sensation).
But synthetic marijuana has more destructive powers than the real marijuana it is trying to emulate, often at very low doses. Its effects include vomiting, chest pain, dizziness, increased heart rate, blackened vision, headache, kidney damage, pain, confusion, dilated pupils, seizures, involuntary limb movements (twitching), blackened vision, decreased blood potassium levels, and increased glucose.
The use of synthetic marijuana has also been linked to changes in behavior (irritability, tantrums), hallucinations, and symptoms of psychosis. In some cases, the effects can cause stroke, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, acute heart failure, heart attack, or even death.
What's more, you can't really be sure what specific chemicals are contained in it, let alone the dosage of each mixture, so the effects can differ - either between brands, or even between batches of the same brand.
Make the wearer act like a zombie
The phenomenon of K2, America's version of synthetic marijuana, at least made 33 people in Brooklyn hospitalized for overdoses. In Australia, marijuana recently was responsible for the death of a 17-year-old teenager from an overdose. Even though the record for traditional marijuana overdoses in various parts of the world is very, very rare, almost nil.
In some people, the effects of this new type of marijuana make them behave like undead. Last July 2016, a number of pedestrians in New York reported a strange sight on the side of the road. CCTV footage and video of witnesses showed a group of men sitting languidly on chairs with blank stares, while others were dazed and wandering around. One man was even seen dancing while prancing carrying a bowling ball. The others were walking down, dragging their bikes.
There was absolutely no sign of life on their faces, like the scenes in Hollywood zombies.
