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Get Scouted Scouting CareersResearchers Are Grasping for Answers as Law Enforcement Jumps in to Help
We don’t really know enough, yet, about synthetic marijuana, otherwise known as K2 or Spice, but the early indicators are that the substance contains ingredients which are having a devastating effect on consumers that ingest it. Law enforcement around the United States are cracking down on retail distributors as reports continue to surface regarding young people being brought to hospitals for emergency treatments for after-use symptoms such as increased heart rates, spiking blood pressures, severe anxiety and vomiting, all of which point toward K2 having a direct influence on the cardiovascular systems of some users. At present, the fear among medical experts is that K2 contains toxic additives which are sprayed onto natural herbs to provide the marijuana-like high it purports to offer.
“K2 may be a mixture of herbal and spice plant products, but it is sprayed with a potent psychotropic drug and likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects. These toxic chemicals are neither natural nor safe,” said Anthony Scalzo, M.D., professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University who also directs the Missouri Regional Poison Control Center in a statement published by CADCA.
In her written testimony, titled “The Dangers of Synthetic Cannabinoids and Stimulants,” to the California Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Erica Leary, program manager for the North Coastal Prevention Coalition in Vista, California, wrote, “Alcohol and marijuana use remain the primary drugs of choice for adolescents in our area, especially for those who are likely to be subjected to random drug tests. Synthetic drugs and herbal drug products are not produced in a controlled laboratory environment. Predicting the dangerous contaminants that could be inhaled when smoking Spice and other variations of synthetic marijuana is impossible. It’s tragic to see the effects caused by their ingestion of these drugs.”
As researchers learn more and as laws are enacted to bring these substances under some sort of control, it remains clear that young student-athletes should avoid contact with K2 and Spice. There are no upsides to experimenting with a product which has been proven to be dangerous to the user’s immediate, if not long-term, health.
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.