fake pot
Synthetic marijuana often appears in packages with different names, such as K2, which is a concoction of dried herbs sprayed with chemicals.
(AP File Photo | KELLEY MCCALL)
The Lehigh County district attorney and coroner are investigating to see whether synthetic marijuana is causing a rash of severe drug reactions that has sent dozens of people to emergency rooms, and whether it's behind 10 suspected overdose deaths.
"I've never seen a rash of exposure like this in anything I've done," said Dr. Kenneth Katz, medical toxicologist and emergency physician with the Lehigh Valley Health Network. "This is unlike anything we've ever seen before. It's absolutely off the charts."
Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said he's ordered toxicology tests in connection with 10 deaths since April 16. Authorities believe the deaths may be connected to synthetic marijuana, but there's no way to be sure until the tests come back, which can take weeks.
District Attorney Jim Martin issued a public warning for people to be aware of the danger of the drugs, which look like leafy matter in packets and may be laced with hazardous chemicals.
Here's a sampling of reader comments at lehighvalleylive.com about synthetic marijuana and the recent rash of poisonings. Feel free to join the conversation.
giantomatic:
They really need to stop calling it synthetic marijuana and give it a name like Russian Roulette leaves, since it really does not contain any marijuana at all. I am not trying to protect pot, which I believe has serious emotional effects on long term chronic users.
thinkpeace:
The problem with synthetics is not overdose. The problem is death from exposure to toxins. This stuff is deadly.
blue502:
There was an interesting show on CNN Sunday night about these 'designer drugs -- -they had undercover footage from a lab in China that makes all of this horribly dangerous stuff. My son almost died from bath salts several times (highly addictive-like Meth, but more dangerous) when they were legal, and this stuff seems even worse. The DEA tries to keep up with it, but China sends over raw materials to the US by the freighter. I saw a segment of Drugs Inc once where they tested hundreds of bags of it-and every single one had different combinations of chemicals in them.
Just saying:
"The drug is sold in convenience stores and on the street -- usually for as little as $20, according to the district attorney." However, it is now illegal to sell in convenience stores in PA and NJ. It was once legal, but has now been banned. That's not to say that some still continue to sell it out of their store, but it is done illegally. So now, just like most dealers do in the lehigh valley to obtain their goods, they travel to NY, where this is still allowed to be sold in your corner store.
Carmello:
If real marijuana were legal, this crap wouldn't even exist. I think we should blame the anti-marijuana politicians for keeping marijuana illegal.
scorpion30:
If Marijuana were legal we would have a bunch of stoned idiots driving and wandering around all day. No thank you!
Chris S (Blastus):
When marijuana becomes legal in the next year or so, why will that stop these people from spraying it with chemicals, tweaking it in some way or another? Even though it is presently illegal, these people could have easily gotten their hands on marijuana if they wanted it, but they did not. Or do you think they thought they were getting one thing, and got another? Making marijuana legal will not really stop people from experimenting with toxic stuff like this.
flenory:
If it became legal, information on it would become much more widely available. You'd be able to buy weed that was grown organically and locally or whatever, and it'd be even safer than it is now. Sure, you could probably buy hormone-infused, pesticide-covered weed too, made by ConAgra or Monsanto or whoever, but it'd be no worse for your health than Chicken McNuggets.