Lawmakers, police and parents urge ban of synthetic marijuana after rash of violent crimes
A perfectly legal and easy-to-find drug known as K2 or synthetic marijuana has Michigan lawmakers, police, judges, parents and others pledging to ban its sale after the substance has been linked to violent crime and dangerous behavior, the Detroit Free Press reports Sunday.
The substance is made up of non-marijuana plant material and sprayed with chemicals that mimic THC, the active drug in marijuana. It’s commonly sold in gas stations or tobacco stores under names like Legal Devil, LOL, Tsunami or Scooby Snax and in flavors like grape, blueberry, mango or watermelon, the newspaper reports.
Synthetic marijuana has been linked to a series of recent violent crimes around Detroit, including the son who fatally beat his father with a baseball bat in West Bloomfield Township in April and the shooting death of a 17 year-old boy, also in West Bloomfield, by his grandmother.
Parents, doctors and users say smoking the substance causes extreme mood swings, nausea, dizziness, psychosis and possibly memory loss.
Previous efforts by state lawmakers and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to ban substances used to make K2 haven’t stopped the legal sale of the product, since manufacturers can easily change the chemicals and advertise that they are legal. But new legislation is pending in both the state Legislature and Congress.
For more, read the Free Press report.
Comments
Middle America
Tue, Jun 5, 2012 : 2:58 a.m.
All the articles about "synthetic drugs" always remind me of this: http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-moms-invent-new-recreational-drug-to-worry,28130/ Annarbor.com reminds me of The Onion way too much, by the way.
JSS
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 8:30 p.m.
I'll add to my previous comment, that it's a shame this article is being buried on "page 2" of the electronic edition. Based on some of the stories on page 1, I think that decision on the part of editors is really questionable. Again, this is a real problem. The fact that it's not particularly commonly known is exactly the reason why it should be given higher priority.
squidlover
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 4:11 p.m.
Irregardless of different views about legalizing marijuana, it is apparent that there is no reason (other than greed, of course) for these products to be on the market. Naturally, relying on people's sense of responsibility and common sense will only go so far (even though these products are labeled "Not for Human Consumption"); however that is exactly how this garbage is being marketed. It's like bottling drain cleaner, putting a small sticker on the label not to drink it, and stocking it with the sodas.
JSS
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 4:07 p.m.
Like others, I believe that there is a substantial and real difference between marijuana and this sort of substance. But to be clear, the author of this article didn't make up the "synthetic marijuana" moniker for K2 and the like. These substances are commonly (though misleadingly) called that. I can't say strongly enough how this stuff should be banned. I won't go into details, but I believe I've seen first hand (i.e. but not personally experienced) that it does engender violent behavior. Nothing like a "mellow" high. I hope a movement to ban this here will get the sort of push that the eastern part of the state has seen. Our area has been slow to wake up to this threat. And I DO believe it's a real threat.
rusty shackelford
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
As someone in favor of marijuana legalization, I have serious concerns about K2, and border on believing it should be illegal. The problem is the companies and the media brand it as being similar to marijuana, which is isn't. Kids think it's like smoking weed but legal, but in fact K2 is quite dangerous. It's very easy to overdose on the stuff, while overdosing on marijuana is physically impossible. Even the academic who first developed these compounds (John W. Huffman) believes they should be banned while actual marijuana should be legal.
Cathy
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 1:21 p.m.
Alcohol is responsible for more violence than any other drug.
Forever27
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 1:36 p.m.
correction, the people who are responsible for their own actions have a higher likelihood to have been under the influence of alcohol than any other drug. People are ultimately responsible for their own actions, regardless of whatever "influence" they're under.
justcurious
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 12:52 p.m.
Perhaps all of the commenters before me could produce proof that this drug is not as harmful as it is supposed to be. Sounds like a knee jerk reaction to the banning of any drug. A little research brought up a lot of good reasons to get this stuff off the market. And yes, I am all for legalizing unadulterated marijuana.
northside
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 1:45 p.m.
just did you read the Free Press article? The incidents it cites just don't add up to claims this is a murder-inducing drug. In one it was the victim, not the shooter, who was alleged to have taken it, yet somehow the drug is blamed. And the lone source that the victim took it is the shooter's attorney. In the 'baseball bat beating' there's no mention of a drug test for the suspects, just that police claim they smoked it before the crime. The article cites a survey that 11% of high school seniors used it last year. If it was the addictive, crime-inducing substance that is being claimed wouldn't violent incidents be more soundly proven and higher in number?
Forever27
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 12:54 p.m.
how about we start to blame people for their actions and not dismiss it as just being a reaction to a drug? The comments here are mostly upset over the idea that lawmakers want to step in when they have bigger fish to fry.
Forever27
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 12:36 p.m.
talk about senseless hysteria. Not only are we absolving criminals of their culpability in their crimes by blaming their actions on "synthetic marijuana," or other drugs. But, we're making baseless generalizations about substances that we barely understand and attempting to pass sweeping legislation in the wake. This just stinks of reactionary thinking.
lefty48197
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 4:06 a.m.
Some people just have too much free time. They stir up controversy where none exists. Ban marlboros and red bull. All of those alleged criminals used those substances too.
Angry Moderate
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 3:12 a.m.
What an awful, ignorant article. These drugs are not synthetic marijuana. They have nothing to do with marijuana. And they are not responsible for many of these crimes. The author obviously didn't look into the facts of the shooting by the grandmother before publishing this.
northside
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 11:53 a.m.
It's amazing that the 'grandmother shooting' is being blamed on this stuff. It wasn't the shooter, but the person shot, who is alleged (by the shooter's attorney) to have used it.
northside
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 12:27 a.m.
This sure smells like the latest drug hysteria. It certainly follows the same pattern as others. The Free Press article begins with a story of a teen (always a 'innocent' white teen, right?) who says she had an awful experience the first time she tried it but then got hooked. Huh? The story continues with unproven allegations about crimes the drug is supposed to be responsible for: "Police say they believe two young men smoked it before they attacked a Farmington Hills family with baseball bats in April." Those anecdotes followed by scary quotes from people who make their living from the drug war and have a vested interest in another substance being criminalized. The anecdotal stories, even if sketchy, then become media truths. If the Free Press article, it is just a police claim that the substance caused the baseball bat beatings. Now annarbor.com reports "Synthetic marijuana has been linked to a series of recent violent crimes around Detroit, including the son who fatally beat his father with a baseball bat in West Bloomfield Township."
lefty48197
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 4:04 a.m.
It's funny how easily the media is manipulated.
nowayjose
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 1:39 a.m.
Right on man, pass the K2!
a2citizen
Sun, Jun 3, 2012 : 11:13 p.m.
"...that mimic thc..." Not a very good job of mimicking natural thc. I don't recall any violence from people smoking natural thc. With the baseball bats and all, authorities might want to make the analogies to crystal meth.
lefty48197
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 4:08 a.m.
You're right. The "Mimic Thc" comment is evidence of terrible reporting. Time to find a new career!
mixmaster
Sun, Jun 3, 2012 : 10:27 p.m.
Ban the fake stuff because it kills. Legalize the real stuff because it doesn't.
northside
Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 11:50 a.m.
But does the fake stuff actually kill? There's nothing solid in the Free Press article to suggest that it does. The only positive test mentioned was of somewhat who was shot, not the shooter, and the source was the shooter's attorney.
tdw
Sun, Jun 3, 2012 : 11:51 p.m.
I have to agree with you on this one. ( more than likely the first and last time :) )