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Core Topics => In the Media => Topic started by: neil on January 20, 2015, 08:35:04 PM
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Hey guys
I wrote this article at news.com.au - check it out. Had to change the name to Mark for legal reasons. :-)
What's everyone's thought on synthetic cannabis?
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/the-truth-about-synthetic-cannabis-from-the-mouth-of-an-addict/story-fneuzlbd-1227189770118
A USER of synthetic cannabis says it is unsafe, harder to give up than heroin and leaves him feeling depressed.
“I feel bad that I’ve been forced into taking synthetic stuff,” *Mark, 39, said.
“I know I’ve got a choice but I’m addicted. I started taking marijuana when I was 13 then police led a real crackdown and it was impossible to find. I moved to synthetic cannabis 3-4 years ago and it’s a coping mechanism for me.”
His comments follow the deaths of two men in separate incidents in Queensland last week. Both men had smoked a drug known as ‘Spice’ which mirrors the effects of marijuana.
Police raided the Love Heart adult shop in Mackay in relation to the deaths of two men. P
Police raided the Love Heart adult shop in Mackay in relation to the deaths of two men. Picture: Annette Dew
An expert told news.com.au that synthetic cannabis can lead to hallucinations, convulsions and seizures.
Mark, from Western Australia, smokes daily. He said he would give up if he could but he can’t.
“It’s definitely addictive. Some people say it’s harder to give up than heroin. If I have a break, I feel depressed but those feelings eventually subside.”
Synthetic cannabis is created when chemicals are sprayed onto plant matter like strawberry plant leaves. It is increasingly popular with the working population who are drug tested because the chemicals used don’t show up on traditional screens. The problem is that every “brand” is different and you never know what you’re going to get.
“Like all drugs, you have to be careful,” Mark said.
There are a range of different synthetic cannabis brands on the market.
There are a range of different synthetic cannabis brands on the market.
“I don’t know if they’re safe but do people know all the ingredients in all the synthetic foods they eat every day?”
Professor Michael Farrell from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW said the drug works on the same receptors in the brain as marijuana but has “subtle but important differences”. He said side effects include high blood pressure, agitation, convulsions and seizures.
“We need to look at the (Queensland deaths) very carefully to understand exactly how they died but we know that synthetic cannabis will increase brain irritability and reduce the seizure threshold,” Prof. Farrell said.
‘It’s harder to give up than heroin’
User *Mark said synthetic weed is harder to give up than heroin and leaves him feeling depressed.
Police have yet to reveal the official cause of death for the 33-year-old and 41-year-old men from Queensland but Dr David Farlow from Mackay Base Hospital said an average of one patient per day had presented to the emergency department in recent weeks with paranoia, hallucinations, twitching of the limbs, respiratory problems or seizures as a result of synthetic cannabis.
Mark said he would be cautious about buying synthetic weed from Queensland.
“If I was buying it in Queensland, I would start looking to get it from somewhere else.”
*Mark asked to have his identity withheld. His name has been changed.
Originally published as ‘It’s harder to give up than heroin’
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interesting ... i was told that "real" THC is not a full agonist with a weaker binding affinity and therefore those synthetics deliver quite a hit, one that has real unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, mainly due to the relative receptors.
personally, i have no interest because i can readily access decent pot and then only use a gram once or twice a fortnight.
if we have receptors for it, it usually ends in tears :P
... but i am all for Research Chemicals, however ... especially empathogens or entactogens, yeah ! ... but for synthetic pot ? nah, maybe just use these new synthetics for medicinal purposes or just make them available in a supervised/hospital setting, so nobody has to go through any form drug cessation misery.
one person told me that he had a couple of puffs and was stuck to the floor for over an hour ... wtf ? not my idea of fun, either.
Neil, i'm glad you brought this warning up because i just cannot condone it or find at LEAST one person who thought they were "good drugs" ... who needs another fucking habit, yeah ?
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well said Chipper. ... who needs another fucking habit
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:) :) :)
I'm pleased to see that the site has attracted such quality - as the author of that article, you have to let people know that the "old school" drugs weren't that bad after all.
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:) :) :)
I'm pleased to see that the site has attracted such quality - as the author of that article, you have to let people know that the "old school" drugs weren't that bad after all.
Yeah I know right? Lol who'd a thunk synthetic herb would be more life wrecking than good old dope, & coke. Spice or k2 is really harsh, I have smoked it before and after about a month I hated the come down. Now I want nothing to do with it.
Also I agree with the OP. Look at what drug laws have created. Forced to find a high that is dangerous. Sigh
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O.K. I'll designate myself as the resident expert on synthetic CANNabinoids (should be pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, not the second).
I smoke the stuff every chance I get. It's definitely addictive just like crack and heroin and on a whole 'nother level than weed. Who's ever gotten a full-on drooling on yourself nod from smoking weed?
I don't know if there's any synthetic opioids in the stuff I get but I don't think so.
So many K2 zombies walking around the little area where I live, and ONE place pumping the stuff out into the community.
A fucking shitload of people depend on this place for their daily fix. I can smoke like $45/day of this shit, but sometimes, a 5g bag will last me like 3 days. It's hit or miss.
On the DC metro buses, they have a public service advertisement that warns teenagers against K2 use. "Don't be a K2 zombie" is what it says.
Shit is off the chain. And all I can think of right now is getting some more. Beer sucks.
When people say, "why don't you just smoke some real green?" They don't know what the fuck they're talking about. This shit is like crack and heroin (and weed) all blended together.
The high lasts about 30 minutes and you have smoke more right then. If you smoke it constantly every day, you'll be plagued with SEVERE withdrawal symptoms, like uncontrollable vomiting, tremors, and severe anxiety. It sucks. But the high is SO GOOD.
I'm lucky I guess because I don't have enough $$ to buy it but like twice a week.
I still can't understand why Fairfax County Police allow this ONE SINGLE place to continue to pump this shit up into DC and Maryland, and all over Northern Virginia. It's prevalent in other places around the country as well.
It can't last, is what I say...
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They think crack babies are bad, what till they get some experience with the K2 babies!
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And did I say anything about the anorexia associated with abstinence from these substances? Fuck. I can't eat for like 24 hours sometimes after cessation of use. Usually I just wait like 12 or 16 hours, then force myself to eat something nutritious, and take some vitamins too. But fuck if that stuff don't mess up your nutritional status as well. But under the influence, I'm an eating machine (if I want to be - you can ignore hunger too if that's your inclination). Sometimes, I'll eat so much I puke, like a whole large pizza or something.
And when you're high on it, you don't get thirsty at ALL. You could die of thirst if you were high on this shit, and didn't pay attention to your body's needs. Got to stay hydrated on that stuff, with a mindful purpose.
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Looks like K2 is over for Fairfax County, Virginia. I went by the spot today (a tobacco store) and was greeted by four or five smiling cops blocking the door off, while they let another one in.
I knew it couldn't last. "They" won't let someone pump cheap powerful drugs into a county that spends a lot of money on alcohol and drug rehab services.