Fake weed is everywhere
Floridians are getting sick and even dying from synthetic cannabis, fake weed that has made its way into the state. It can come in the form of solids or oils and contain unpredictable contaminants.
In December 2021, more than 50 people in the Tampa Bay area were hospitalized with severe bleeding after smoking synthetic cannabis products that may have been laced with rat poison.
Synthetic weed is illegal in Florida, and Christopher Kimball, Florida’s Director of the Office of Medical Marijuana Use, told lawmakers last week it is not being dispensed from licensed facilities. Yet data shows synthetic cannabis increasingly has led to ER visits in Florida, and a new report says it was a factor in two-thirds of the deaths in the state between 2014 and 2020.
“It’s a real problem for the consumers,” said Sullivan of Cresco Labs. “What has happened because of the vagueness of the farm bill back in 2018 and interpretations of that, it’s created kind of a wild, wild west of unlicensed, untested, unregulated products flooding into states. A lot of local gas stations and cigarette shop are now carrying products that are unlicensed, untested and have real risk to consumers.”
One researcher says legalizing marijuana for adult use could curb some of the activity.
A review of National Poison Data System data collected between 2016 and 2019 found states with legalized recreational cannabis had 37% fewer poisoning reports for synthetic cannabinoids compared with states with restrictive laws.
“This study shows some potential public health benefits to the legalization and regulation of adult use of cannabis,” said co-author Tracy Klein of Washington State University.
Benefits vs. risk
The real thing, legally produced cannabis, has its health risks, too.
Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing just released a statewide analysis that shows cannabis can be addictive and potentially cause harm.
Researchers looked at deaths in Florida associated with cannabis. They used Florida Department of Law Enforcement data from 2014 to 2020 and discovered 386 people died in Florida as a result of cannabis use, mostly as a result of car accidents.
“People need to know marijuana use is not 100 percent safe or therapeutic,” said Armiel Suriaga, Ph.D., senior author of the study and an assistant professor in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “It affects the brain and can impair judgment,”
Suriaga said he also found about 12.6% of deaths in Florida from cannabis involved cardiovascular-related illnesses. “It can trigger a heart attack because marijuana can cause inflammation of the heart.”
The Florida findings mirror larger scale research completed five years ago from 21 observational studies involving 240,000 participants.
William Checkley, who participated in that research on the health effects of recreational and therapeutic cannabis use, says a committee of experts found marijuana can help people with chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. But it is not without risk.
“People who use cannabis prior to driving are 22% more likely to get into an accident,” he said.
Checkley, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said his research also found a correlation with pot smoking and respiratory issues, and heavy users reported increased thoughts of suicide and depression.
Still, cannabis is one of the few industries in the world that grew during the pandemic, and in Florida, people continue to turn to it for help with their medical conditions.