Synthetic Marijuana Growing Problem for Teens

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 24, 2015 under Synthetic Drugs | Comments are off for this article

Man-made drugs that mimic popular street drugs have become more popular among children and teenagers in Arizona and throughout the country. Manufacturers are producing drugs that create similar effects as many illicit drugs. One of the most popular types of synthetic drugs is synthetic marijuana, which is often called Spice or K2. Synthetic marijuana has been available gas stations and has been sold as other types of products. Manufacturers package and market the drug as potpourri, although it is understood that the intention is to smoke the dried leaves.

Once in the system, the synthetic marijuana quickly goes to work making the person feel high and lethargic, much like marijuana does. But this is where the similarities often stop. Synthetic marijuana has some dangerous side effects. Users of the drug, children and teenagers being the overwhelming majority, have reported feelings of intense paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, cravings and depression.

Recently, researchers set out to investigate the risk factors associated with synthetic marijuana usage. Researchers determined that young, white males were the main demographic who abused synthetic marijuana. Further study showed that teenagers that abused synthetic marijuana were more likely to abuse other drugs down the road. Despite the perception that synthetic marijuana is a safer alternative, most children were using the “potpourri” as a stepping stone to other illicit drugs down the road. The study indicated that teenagers that were abusing synthetic marijuana were twice as likely to suffer from alcohol problems in the future as well.

The main concept here is that regardless of the substance, if a young person is willing to ingest something looking to create some type of altered state, then that same intention translates to other drugs. In that sense, any first type of substance abuse ultimately becomes the “gateway drug.” Helping to eliminate that desire through other meaningful interaction is a great step in the direction of drug prevention.

Law Enforcement Training for Synthetic Drug Detection

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on December 16, 2014 under Synthetic Drugs | Comments are off for this article

After Lance Dyer’s son passed away from smoking synthetic marijuana, he knew he had to do something to help other people suffering from this addiction and hopefully prevent any more deaths. Dyer decided to donate his dog to the local police station to be trained in sniffing out synthetic drugs like kind his son had passed away from.

The springer spaniel, named Dakota, is the first dog to ever be trained in sniffing out synthetic marijuana. Dyer hopes that other police departments will follow their lead and train more dogs to aid in the discovery and seizure of these dangerous drugs. In addition to donating the dog to the police department, Dyer also set up a foundation to bring about more awareness to the synthetic drug problem in our country.

“Our foundation recognizes the importance of education and our youth and getting them to realize how serious these synthetics are. And the dog Dakota is a great spokesperson. This will give the sheriff’s Department a way to detect and the District Attorney’s Office a way to prosecute,” he commented.

While many police departments have canines that are capable of sniffing out drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, none have a dog that is able to alert police officers to the presence of synthetic drugs. As the amount of synthetic drugs in our country continues to grow, it has become more important for police officers to adapt and out-think drug manufacturers and dealers. Hopefully canines like Dakota will help with this task.

Synthetic drugs are man-made substances that are designed to be similar to other street drugs but are slightly different chemically. These drugs are sold in gas stations and convenience stores disguised as potpourri, plant food and other packages labeled as “not for human consumption.” Due to their easy accessibility, more and more children are able to purchase and ingest these drugs.

Continued efforts like this to adapt to the changing drug climate are necessary to protecting young people across the country.