![K2 "fake pot" is dangerous to teenagers.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/hash/15/54/15544af8f6dbd6c4535ec4ab79a53e5e.jpg "K2 "fake pot" is dangerous to teenagers.")
There is a new and dangerous “fake weed” drug known as K2 that is becoming popular among America’s teenagers. Although it’s referred to as “fake,” the dangers to teens are very real. The marijuana-like substance can cause hallucinations, vomiting, agitation and other dangerous side effects, according to Fox News.
What Is K2?
K2 is a mixture of herbal and spice plant products, but it is sprayed with a potent drug that is causing many adverse effects. It sells for about $30-$40 per three-gram bag, and is more potent than marijuana. K2 is made to be a potpourri or an incense, and it can be burned in a small burner. However, a growing number of teens are choosing to smoke it. K2 can be purchased in local smoke shops.
The Dangers of K2:
K2 “fake weed” causes the usual side effects of marijuana, like sleepiness, relaxation, reduced blood pressure, and at high doses, hallucinations and delusions. However, unlike marijuana, K2 also produces increased agitation, elevated blood pressure and high heart rates. Leading physicians agree that the “fake weed” is dangerous. "It's like playing Russian roulette. You don't know what it's going to do to you," Clemson University’s organic chemist John Huffman told Fox News. In Missouri, a 14-year-old vomited, suffered seizures, and even quit breathing after smoking a small amount of K2. He remained unconscious for five hours and spent the night in the ICU. Similar cases are being reported across the country, including 14 right here in Georgia. A teen in Atlanta went into a coma and almost died this past weekend. He has since recovered fully, but he considers himself lucky and is telling other teens about the dangers of K2. Georgia legislators are currently trying to ban the synthetic pot.
K2 Usage is on the Increase:
Because K2 is generally considered an “herbal smoke,” reports of its increased usage are cropping up all over the country," explains Dr. Anthony Scaizo, a professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University. "I think K2 is likely a bigger problem than we're aware of at this time," he added.
What’s a Parent To Do?
Be sure to research K2 and become familiar with its dangers. Talk to your teenagers about this latest herbal drug, and why it is so dangerous. Hopefully, armed with information, your teen will choose not to abuse. K2 is no laughing matter.
To read more about K2, click here to read the complete report from Fox News. Click here to read more about the teen from Missouri who almost died from K2.
Click here to view a local report about K2 from WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Sources: Fox News and KY3 TV
Related articles you might find of interest:
- Oprah Winfrey continues to promote the “No Phone Zone”
- Texting while driving causes crash, sends Atlanta teen to hospital
- Texting while driving PSA sends strong message to teens
- Parenting 101: How to prevent cyberbullying
- Kelly Clarkson 'Self Magazine' controversy: a good conversation starter for parents
- Why all parents need to know about the dangers of ‘alcopops’
- The top ten ways to cope with puberty - a family survival guide
- 17-year-old killed by train while listening to MP3 player
- Bubble-wrapped kids versus the subway experiment - how do you parent?
To receive future articles by Jackie Kass, scroll to the top of this article, and click on SUBSCRIBE. Your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone else. Do you have a story idea? I'd love to hear from you! E-mail your ideas to me at jackiekass@bellsouth.net.
Comments
LOL, those stupid kids will smoke anything wont they? Pathetic.
Jess
www.fbi-logging.at.tc
Back when I was a kid the kids smoked corn silk rolled in newspaper...lol...times have changed, for sure!
Raise your own children and save the speculation for the church bake sales. Gasoline is dangerous also but that has not been made illegal yet. After the war on drugs will come the war on your constitutional right to bear arms. Stay out of american civil liberties please!
What a pathetic excuse for drug paranoia disguised as journalism. Have we learned nothing from the failures of Prohibition and the so-called "War on Drugs"?
Apparently Jackie Kass hasn't.
Well, I'm certainly surprised by the comments, but I totally respect your right to make them. The purpose of this article was to inform parents about a problem that is becoming more common among teenagers. Glue is not illegal, yet parents talk to their children about the danger of sniffing it. Belts are not illegal, but the chocking game kills hundreds of teens each year. An informed parent is one who can talk to their children about dangerous trends. In no way am I trying to encroach upon anyone's civil rights. Drug paranoia? This news story is on every major channel and in every medium. If my article can enlighten any parents who were not aware of this trend, then I can sleep well at night. Thanks for reading.
More propaganda for the war on drugs. Pretty soon this will be illegal and we can send more non-violent offenders to prison for ingesting it. As an added benefit, there will be billions of dollars spent to combat the new deadly menace that is ravaging our young people.
Thank you for caring about our children and taking the time to warn them about the dangers of such foolishness. Thank you for your comment Jackie. I find it so hard to understand why anyone would put such a substance into their bodies. I spoke to three teens about this today and told them to get on Facebook or texting or whatever and tell their friends about this and how dangerous it is. Kids will listen to kids; but not adults. I could never understand why anyone would take such a chance with their life - or to destroy their health for few minutes of whatever they get out of it.I believe that behind our backs for so many years our children have been taught things in school that encourages them to rebel. So many are discouraged and lost and like the Osmond boy are taking their own lives or choosing to live less than what they are capable of.But we cannot give up - we have to keep talking and do a lot of praying.It is so sad that their lives are so empty that they need to do such.
good job jack ass you do know everone of those kids went out and bought a 5 gram bag of the most expensive best smelling k2 out lol childhood you obviously didnt have one
Jackie: I hope you do not mind; but I sent your link to the people I spoke to on the phone about this. Pat
Sounds awesome, where do I pick some up?
http://buypremiumincense.biz
Most of the problems caused by K2 were from the incense having too much JWH-018. We dose ours heavily in '073 with just enough 018. People should be careful with this stuff, and if abusing it, at least use it moderately. There's many premium incense products out their, some, like K2 just happen to have too much 018 and it makes people bug out.
If they would legalize marijuana, I bet people wouldn't be pressed to try potentially dangerous, experimental drugs that haven't been sufficiently researched.
To an open minded, well educated person, there is only one simple solution to this problem. End prohibition, it didn't work in the 1920's, it doesn't work today.
i think what u said makes a lot of sense
I AGREE JOE I GOTTA TAKE RANDOM DRUG TEST FOR MY JOB BUT GOTTA SMOKE TO DEAL WITH THE SLOW NON SMOKEING JACK ASSES.GOVERN\MENT WOULD BE OUTA DEBT WITH MY HABIT ALONE HAHA SOON ENOUGH BUDDY SOON ENEOGH
Quote: "However, unlike marijuana, K2 also produces increased agitation, elevated blood pressure and high heart rates. Leading physicians agree that the “fake weed” is dangerous."
Fear and Excitement also do this. Does that make them dangerous.
Speaking of which. YOU people love fear. You're addicted to it. There hasn't been any real studies on it to make any determination. No different than a witch hunt.
How do you know your new LCD TV isn't slowly killing you with some unique form of radiation because of the unregulated Chinese components used in it. Probably cause no one said the word dangerous. Well it's speculated that LCD TV's do put out dangerous 3vRad emissions. Grab your pitchforks now.
A great resource designed for parents on how to talk to kids about drugs and alcohol. Available online and in 12 different languages.
www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_wide_initiatives/drug-alcohol-toolkit.aspx
Regarding "Joope's comment: I Googled "3vRad emission" and found nothing. Even did a Google News search on it and nothing!
I have smoked this many times and it in no way is anything like what they are saying.I could not imagine the fact that anyone went to the hospital on this it not even as potent as real weed(which has never killed anyone).This is a scare tact tic.So that they can control us and take way are freedom.How many time will you let them manipulate you. LIVE FREE OR DIE!!!!!!!!
My brother almost died last night after smoking K2. He spent the entire night and part of today in the ICU, just like the kids mentioned in the article. He was vomiting everywhere and stopped breathing before the paramedics arrived. No, he shouldn't have smoked it, and no, the adverse effects may not happen to every person that smokes it, but they are real for some people.
like I said Joope is a lier and works for the "MAN"
I agree that we have the right to be free Americans and make our own choices about what we do. However, I have never heard of k2 and I appreciate the heads up. I would not want anyone to use k2 and hurt themselves. Every individual's body reacts differently to foreign substances.I think that you wrote a great article. Thank-you. I will say this about civil liberties....If marijuana was legalized..perhaps our children would not be smoking anything they can find to experiment with.
Ok, full disclosure: I have smoked pot for several years. I support legalization. I am IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM a prohibitionist.
That said: my experience with K2 has led to serious side effects. I have twitched uncontrollably, had shortness of breath, become paranoid and agitated, had horrible feelings of helplessness, become very cold in my hands and feet, and at one point felt like I might have a full-on seizure. It has happened twice and I will not touch the stuff anymore.
I am not saying this as an anti-drug message. I am saying it because I hope someone will listen and be cautious about how they use this stuff. IT IS NOT HARMLESS. It is far worse than pot, which is much safer and less disturbing.
What a surprise... Another news article on K2 saying that it is dangerous without any proof. If you want to say its dangerous Jacky, support your thesis with facts. If someone gets "too high" off of marijuana they can have an anxiety attack, feel agitated, or even a sense of extreme gravity or weightlessness. K2 is the same way. JWH-018 and JWH-073, the synthetic cannabinoids used in K2 are 4-5 times as potent as THC, so more users find themselves higher than they would like and freak out. You are also incorrect about marijuana not increasing your heart beat.
It's amazing (and tragic) to see how easily christians can be made to believe Anything. Politicians use fear and the unknown to get them to go along with them in most things.
It is sad that in the year 2010 theists still want to put as many citizens as possible in jail, and ruin their entire lives by branding them with a criminal record that will never go away.
If this stuff provides such bad experiences then kids (let's give up all our rights in order to 'protect the children') then kids won't consume it. Would you eat something if it made you vomit every time? Of course not.
Yet, if you make it the forbidden fruit then it's guaranteed to attract more people to it.
The only reason K2 and other substances are being used is because of Prohibition. If cannabis was never criminalized (1937) then K2 would not even exist. Once K2 is outlawed then another substance, perhaps deadly, will be created.
Ending Prohibition is the only way to 'protect our children'
We don't need more excuses to arrest college kids. Synthetic cannibinoids aren't hurting as many people as Tylenol and Aspirin, let alone cigaretts and alcohol. There is no reason for prohibition here. This is just desperate plea for attention from Nazi prohibitionists that know their days are numbered. OK - that's not completely fair. Many of these prohibitionists aren't Nazi's, they're the fear-addled masses that blindly follow their Nazi Prohibitionist masters.
Let's all sell our souls in order to 'protect the children'! Why not limit it's use by age like tobacco instead of treating all adults as children?
Bottom line: Jackie and her ilk want the government to own your body and not free citizens. The question now is who owns your body? Are you, as an adult, free to put into your body what you want? According to police-state freaks like Jackie, the answer is No.
The government owns your body. The government owns your body. The government owns your body. You are not free. Freedom is a myth.
my name is hannah i am 18 years old, my friend and i smoked k2 the other day, and i almost had to be taken to the emergency room, we didnt even smoke that much. my eyes rolled back in my head and i was screaming. then i told my family to leave me alone becuase i was dying. i was in a different world. i didnt know who i was or where i was. i could not walk, or even blink.i had to be carried to the car, and even the next day i could not function properly, i felt like a zombie, my mind was messed up, i couldnt stop crying. and i dotn remeber driving to school.this is a serisous drug and needs to be made illegal.
Its called a bad trip, god damm people learn how to handle ur weed & K2. amatures..
When the actual ingestion of K2 kills starts killing people it will be serious enough for public attention. I know people that smoke the stuff daily and it hasn't made them do anything stupid or go to the hospital. All these people who claim K2 has made their eyes roll back in their heads and couldn't breathe are the same preppy 17 year old kids who drink 2 beers and drive off of the road and kill themselves because they didn't think far enough ahead to stay where they were drinking to sleep for the night. Then the parents blame booze and the kid's friends instead of their bad parenting. Drunk driving, liver cancer, alcohol poisoning, and lung cancer from cigarette smoke kills thousands each year....but the government makes money by taxing the crap. That's why it is OK to get drunk but getting high will land you in prison. Then, the privatized prisons will work you to the bone for pennies instead of dollars. Check out this movie...American Drug War: The Last White Hope. It's awesome!
okay, so lets get this strait...all you people who think that weed or k2 or alcohol...or any ther kind of drug out there isn't that bad, well i will have to say that you are the stupidest person ive ever met. first if you do drugs you have no sence of self preservation...which means that you dont give a damn about yourselves.i know what marijuana does to you...ive been there and done that, i know what k2 does also...been there done that too. i didnt go to rehab 6 times for nothing. and yes, i am 16 so im just the same as any of you pathetic teenagers...except im alot smarter and can do better for myself. im thankful for my sobriety. and my life is much better now. i care about myself now, and mainly my family is very proud of me (which is the best feeling in the world). those of you out there need extreem help. i know lots of rehabilitation facilities. so please e-mail me at deepimression66@yahoo.com.
Just like with any drug if you are not in the right state of mind then of course your going to have bad side effects. All the drug does is enhance your emotions. Don't blame the drug blame the person with negative thoughts.
Ive used it everyday for the past two weeks and never felt sick or felt my heart rate increase. It must affect everyone different because i went through a whole gram (it dosnt take alot) in one day. I never felt bad or experienced anythingbad. However, in large quantities i did hallucinate and my depth perception was all messed up. It was awesome. DO NOT EVER DRIVE ON IT! I will say that but untill some REAL studies come out with some REAL facts then i say go for it. It only lasts 2hrsat most and lessens as time passes. The initial effect is the heaviest. It may be better at binding to cannabinoid receptors on the brain but i dont think its that more potent than marijuana because the duration is soo short. It must depend on the person.
Of course its bad! Smoking anything is bad for you. Drinking anything alcoholic is bad for you. Mankind has an obsession with drugs and will keep doing them as long as "drugs" exist. Theres worse things than K2 out there. People who do drugs in the first place dont care about theirhealth and think the positives of getting high and/or expanding your mind outweigh the negatives. Thats just how it is. Lets stop wasting our time on pot and K2 and get the heroin(boy) and coke(girl) off the streets.
Ok another anonymous kid. You dont attack everyone and say youre smarter then offer help. You went to rehab for pot? Theres heroin, coke, and methamphetamine addict out there man. Theres people who plug ectasy up there butt for cryin out loud. You dont know anymore than anyone else. I dont know either but i do know that you can indeed be psychologically addicted to pot just like fat women are addicted to mcdonalds and kmart. Food, gambling, video games or anything can be addicting. You havent experienced life long enough to say youre smarter because you quit pot. Good for you though. Now you can look down everyone who does and make them feel bad. Youre a big help.
as this k2 and many different types of k2 and k3 and black momba and gun-juh ive smoke this for 2 months about and just quit about a weeks ago and ive been in rehab for pills and weed and this k2 stuff is much stronger the side effects and systems and withdrawls is what im goin threw now is very close to pcp everyone thinks there gonna get a weed high when really they are gonna get a pcp high im goin on my 3rd day of withdrawls and its gets bad ive been awake for over 24 hours straight seeing things very high heart rate and sweating alot this stuff is dangerous
I have smoked pot for over 20 years. But have had to quit because of UA and hair folicle tests. So I tried some k2 blonde and was ok with the first try at it. Thought this would help ease me off of smoking pot. Well later on that eve I smoked some more and nothing this time but a huge headache. I took some asprin and it dulled the headache but still no relief. When I awoke i was fine...this stuff really sucks. I think when they put the chemical on it the dose is to hard to control so eveyrone is getting different amounts and buzz. Be carefull out there stoners. And by the way alcohol is the gateway drug...I have tried all drugs and it wasn't because of pot...it was alcohol. Ever notice they serve alcohol at the casinos to help you gamble more. Sure aren't getting you to smoke some weed...that would slow the slots down. Alot of crap happens becuase of alcohol. Every one who drank in my family is dead now. All the hippies in my family are still alive...there some proof.
I dont't know what you are all talking about. I roast a nice bowl usually at night to my head of summit for about the last 2 months give or take a day here and there. I'm not some stupid teen. I am 29, I work 40 - 80 hrs a week I have a job with a lot of responsibility and i get drug tested. if I have been smoking as much weed as K2 I would be burnt out by now. I feel fine everyday. At work at 6am no problem and do manual labor. You teens now are a bunch of babies. I have many friends who are in the same position I am in. (20 somethings with jobs that drug test that miss the old smoke) None of us are doing anything but getting together once in a while and having a good time with this stuff. Everything you see on the computer reads teens hallucinating or teens in a coma. Well I haven't seen anything about the 20 somethings so on behalf of all of us I say, enjoy it while it lasts because its to good to be true.
I only smoke flowers that grow on the ground and do NOT have some brand new, untested chemical sprayed on them...
i smoked this stuff and i didnt like it, i felt like i was loosing myself and i was never coming back, i belive it can drive SOME crazy lol, i really didnt get sick but i just didnt like the state of mind i was in, pot helps u realax theres nothing wrong with it... they need to make K-2 illegal and make pot legal
ALL u dumbasses who "think" they are hallucinating are ridiculous. ive been smoking this stuff for a couple of months but only because some of my friends had to stop smoking pot, with no bad experiences. i think it really depends on the weight and physical development of the person using this stuff, it seems like young kids and females have worse side effects than others. but thats just my observations
I have smoked pot for years and never had any problems. However, I tried K2 yesterday with my boyfriend and friends and had a terrible reaction. At first it was cool, I felt tingly and stoned...then everything in the world looked like it was pulsing at me really fast and I had the butterfly feeling like I was on a roller coaster. That lasted for about 6 hours and I was so sick and dizzy and nauseous. The next morning I woke up with a "hangover" of sorts. Head ache, dizzy and STILL nauseous. It was horrible and I will never do it again.
For those of you who don't think K2 can have an effect on you. We just had an unconcious male come into our Emergency Department tonight due to the effects of K2.
Perhaps all of the experimenters could find a unified location to discuss this with side effect catagorizations. This would be a way to collect information about the different affects that it has had on people. Make this information public, but anon.
I think that this substance will have some drawbacks because it is a synthetic agent - and by unnatural origins. THC has been a part of man for millenia. I mean, they are the cannabinoid recepters arent they? Its called cannabis.
There is another aspect to this drug - it harms the illegal marijuanna trade's flow of money and supply of prisoners. It affects the entire pot-economic cylce on both sides of the bars. If people feel safer taking the synthetic, legal, and undetected item, they're not going to keep their local dealer in as much business. It will have a ripple effect if a substance like this takes hold on this industry. Think about who really profits. The politics of the pot-government relationship root deeply.
First of all you havr to be 18 to purchase. I'm a parent of three. It is illegal for teens to have just like alcahol. Same side effects too for some. I feel it should be treated the same. Sell it and tax it. The difference between real weed and K2 other than ingredeants is the time it takes for the effects to wear off. K2 only last about an hour which I think is GREAT and long enough. These serious cases you hear about are allergic reactions and mental disorders. Be responcible and have a good time.
Come on people, kids are getting high off of house hold air fresheners. You want that illegal too? Its crazy when so many people die each year to alcohol poisoning, and yes alcohol is a poison, but they ban marijuana and spice from the public. Search up how many people die each year from marijuana overdose. Ha.. exactly. I hear about so many people smoking this new synthetic drug and having no problems what so ever. Maybe these kids that are smoking this K2 are allergic to the herbs inside and maybe its not meant to be ingested by them. Kind of like when someone is allergic to household medication, its not meant for them, but it doesn't mean that ibuprofen is going to be illegal for everyone's use. Do the research before reacting so drastically.
K2 is pretty good, ive been smoking spice for a while and have had one bad trip. Thats because your not suppose to speed hit it. If you do it try one hit then wait about 10 minutes and you should feel it, if you keep taking hit after hit your asking for trouble. There are stronger spices out there than k2 as well.
k2 is a bit stronger then k2 and like some one else said in here it should be treated like alcohol no matter what you k2 is here now. its existense is here to stay no matter if it is iilegal or not this drug is goin to become popular just like any other drug. instead of thinking of ways to stop it we should find a way to control it. parents just watch your kids and adults be responsible aboout it if your going to smoke it.
Come on people how dumn and by dumn i means stupid,IGNORANT etc... can you be. I mean the body is the most important thing you have with out it you wouldnt have a life. How dumn are you to be harming it with substances you dont need in it.
you do have to be 18 to purchase it but trust me in this society were in you can purchace it at any age. retards ugggh ...stupid teenagers but then when theyre dieing they cry like little b!@@#$%.... ughhh
my name is not real to keep my i dentity secure i am 16 years of age going to be 17 on august 26 i weigh 195lbs and am 6'4ft tall so i could say i am a big boy and i smoked k2 today around 12:00 in the after noon i took one hit of the pipe and figured if anything i will get a small buzz, well that were i was wrong i have felt alot of pain in my lifebut smoking this was the most pain i have ever felt and i mean in a bunch of ways i had no control what i was thinking i felt helpless and even stopped breathing numberous times i know it was my fault for trying it and i am not blaiming anybody, but if i can keep spreading my story around which i am not paid to tell, i feel that nobody should have to feel the pain of dieing without acually dieing my adult figures watched helplessly why i layed on my floor explaining to them how i felt and then after told them i was dieing and needed help and when it became so bad i told them i loved them and that im sorry for ever trying k2
Pages
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!