Don't Be Fooled Into Thinking K2 Is Harmless

We’ve talked before about K2, synthetic marijuana also known as spice, demon and genie. Right now it’s legal in most places, but the bans are beginning. So far, K2 has been banned in eight states for being too dangerous, with more states looking at bans after it sent scores of people to the ER, and resulted in at least one death.

K2 looks like marijuana, but according to CBS News, this “fake pot” is actually made of a blend of dried herbs, spices and synthetic chemicals – but which chemicals they are, even the Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t know. K2 is usually packaged and marketed as incense, but most buyers roll it and smoke it instead.

That’s just what Jason Schmider did. He was a frequent marijuana smoker who used K2 because he heard it was undetectable in drug tests – which is like a dream come true for an addict. Since K2 is 15 times stronger than regular marijuana, Schmider’s dream became a nightmare when he ended up in a hospital and then rehab.

So, what can happen to you if you smoke K2? There are a number of harmful side effects. For example, it can speed up your heart rate, cause intense hallucinations and paranoia. It also causes vomiting, body tremors, seizures, and can damage your immune system and central nervous system. One man in Iowa recently died after using K2. One of the reasons? It was never intended for human consumption. It was created in a lab as a plant fertilizer!

So, how widespread is the problem? Already this year, there’ve been over 600 calls to poison centers about K2 – compared to only a dozen calls total last year. One expert says people are playing Russian roulette every time they use it. Since K2 is easily available online, and at gas stations and head shops, anyone can buy it – including kids. The brightly-colored packages look enticing and harmless. However, the DEA claims K2 is a dangerous health risk, and is even considering re-classifying it as a controlled substance that should be banned nationwide, like it already is in Great Britain, Germany, France, Poland and South Korea.