Doctor: Synthetic pot more like PCP

Local emergency rooms reporting spike in cases

The high can be deadly. Local emergency rooms daily see patients who’ve had an adverse reaction to synthetic marijuana, and the number of cases in this area is on the rise.

“It’s becoming a greater problem, and we’re seeing more and more patients both in emergency departments as well as out in public,” said Dr. Matt Young, an emergency room physician at Wadley Regional Medical Center and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, through May 14 of this year, poison centers have received reports of 3,114 exposures to the

drug. In April, 1,512 exposures were reported.

Sold as herbs, incense or potpourri under many different names, synthetic marijuana is an illegal, dangerous drug that can result in deadly reactions the first time someone uses it.

Common reactions other than an altered mental state include fast heart rate, high blood pressure, nausea and vomiting.

“What makes it so dangerous is all the chemicals that are put into the illegal substance. They’re man-made chemicals, and the DEA has made them illegal, but people still take them,” Young said. “No one knows how they will react to it until they try it.

“Unfortunately, because the chemicals in this synthetic drug are 100 times greater than what’s in marijuana, it can lead to irregular heartbeat, palpitations and occasionally cardiac death, seizures or brain death,” Young said.

The high that accompanies synthetic marijuana may not be what the user expects.

“They get a mind-altering state, but not what they’re thinking they’re going to get when they try it. It can lead to paranoia, depression and psychosis,” Young said.

It may be known as synthetic marijuana, but Young said it has more in common with PCP than marijuana.

“To say that they are selling synthetic marijuana is more of a marketing ploy for these companies that make it. … The side effects are much more harmful than marijuana, which is also illegal in Texas. … I would say it’s more like PCP in the sense of what it can do to the body, and that’s a drug we don’t see much of and we don’t want to, but that’s the best one to compare it to.”

PCP causes auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders and amnesia. Synthetic marijuana can have similar effects on users.

“We’ll see some people come in and be very aggressive, trying not only to harm other people around them but themselves because of what it’s doing to their mind,” Young said.

If someone has an adverse reaction to synthetic marijuana, no medication is available to reverse the effects.

“The treatment is usually more supportive of the patient. There is no reversal. Many times, we just have to support their body functions, trying to slow down their heart rate, lower blood pressure, control nausea and vomiting and seizures and potentially fatal heart irregularities,” Young said. “Just using it one time can cause a patient’s death.”

Right now, the long-term consequences aren’t known.

“Because it’s a new substance, we don’t have a lot of research on the long-term effects, but we do know that it does affect a patient’s mental state by causing paranoia, depression and psychosis and other mental problems, and those may be long-lasting,” Young said.

Information on synthetic marijuana, or spice, from drugabuse.gov:

It’s sold under many names, including K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks and others—and labeled “not for human consumption”—these products contain dried, shredded plant material and chemical additives that are responsible for their psychoactive (mind-altering) effects.

Spice products contain dried plant material, but chemical analyses show the active ingredients are synthetic.

It can be purchased in gas stations and head shops and on the Internet.

The DEA has designated the five active chemicals most frequently used as Schedule I controlled substances, making it illegal to buy, sell or possess them.

It’s popular among high schoolers, second only to marijuana use.

Spice abusers who have been taken to Poison Control Centers report symptoms that include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion and hallucinations. Spice can also raise blood pressure and cause reduced blood supply to the heart (myocardial ischemia), and in a few cases, it has been associated with heart attacks. Regular users may experience withdrawal and addiction symptoms.