Legislators are worried about K2 and other synthetic marijuana products that are legal and for sale in 49 states. Health officials say these herbal products can be dangerous and that since they’re produced in unregulated ‘dorm room labs’ – there’s no way to say what’s really in them.
Synthetic marijuana - it’s a high that’s still legal in 49 states. Although herbal incense products like K2 are marked ‘not for human consumption’, for teens, they’re a hot ticket item that provide a marijuana like high, without risk of sanction.
While users may love the worry free smoke, health officials, and increasingly, lawmakers, aren’t as keen on its legality.
Kansas was the first state to ban the use and sale of synthetic marijuana, passing legislation regulating the substance earlier this month. Missouri looks set to follow quickly down the same path, with a similar bill now awaiting state senate approval.
Products like K2 are a mix of herbs that are sprayed with psychoactive substances designed to induce intoxications similar to that produced by marijuana. Problematically, these products, which come largely out of Asia, are completely unregulated.
Lopez says that his Center has handled 20 cases of K2 poisoning, after users of the substance visited emergency rooms complaining of symptoms like heart palpitations and breathing problems.
K2 is at present listed as a drug of concern by the DEA. It has been banned in the UK, Germany, Poland and France. Georgia, Tennessee, Utah, Kentucky and Illinois are also considering bans.