Synthetic Drugs: Soon to be Illegal in California?
“Spice,” one of the many street names for synthetic marijuana and “Bath Salts,” a synthetic stimulant, along with many other “designer drugs,” may soon become illegal in California. California State Senator Galgiani has introduced Senate Bill 1283, to make synthetic marijuana and synthetic stimulants illegal for possession or consumption. This is what good legislation looks like.
Getting dangerous drugs off the streets is a priority for law enforcement, who are often the first responders at overdoses, car crashes, and domestic violence calls that are some of the result of the use of illicit drugs. “SB1283 is strongly supported by law enforcement, which experiences first-hand the dangers resulting from the abuse of bath salts. While the Legislature takes a hard look at each bill that increases criminal penalties, this measure has a good chance of passage,” said Craig Brown, contract lobbyist for Cliffside Malibu.
What are these drugs and why are they so dangerous? Here’s a look:
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
“Spice” refers to a wide variety of herbal mixtures that produce experiences similar to marijuana (cannabis) and that are marketed as “safe,” legal alternatives to that drug. Sold under many names, including K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, and others — and labeled “not for human consumption” — these products contain dried, shredded plant material and chemical additives that are responsible for their psychoactive (mind-altering) effects.
Spice is marketed as “natural,” but it is far from it.
Spice is actually leaves or herbs sprayed with a synthetic chemical to give the experience of a THC-like high.
Synthetic marijuana is a designer drug in which herbs, incense or other leafy materials are sprayed with lab-synthesized liquid chemicals to mimic the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in the naturally grown marijuana plant (cannabis sativa).
As with so many designer drugs, there has been no testing done on the safety of the chemicals used to create the drug and there is no uniformity between drugs. The buyer has no idea what he or she is actually getting when s/he picks up Spice in a store.
Bath Salts is an equally if not more dangerous drug than Spice.
“Ivory Wave,” “Purple Wave,” Vanilla Sky,” and “Bliss” are among the many street names of so-called designer drugs known as “bath salts,” which have sparked thousands of calls to poison centers across the U.S.
Poisonings and psychotic episodes are common with Bath Salt use.
When these problems develop, doctors have a hard time treating it, because the formulation of the drugs changes frequently to try to get around drug laws.
Authorities…have also noticed another trend — one possibly as dangerous as the drugs themselves: they’re changing. In Louisiana for example, after the five common bath salts ingredients were banned, the products didn’t disappear, they just evolved. As soon as the drugs were declared illegal, drugmakers began finding new ways to get around the law by making slight tweaks to the formula, creating substances that don’t show up on drug tests while skirting the law.
Senator Galgiani’s legislation attempts to keep up with these changing formulations by outlawing all synthetic forms of marijuana and stimulants, thus closing many of the loopholes that allow designer drugs to exist and ravage public health. I applaud Senator Galgiani for taking steps to keep designer drugs out of the hands of users. Day in and day out, I see the damage designer drugs do. It can be horrific. Please stay away from designer drugs. You never know what you’re actually getting.
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