K2 Drug Abuse Signs & Symptoms
An herb-and-chemical blend sold legally in the U.S. as incense that produces a marijuana like high when smoked. It is often referred to as a synthetic form of marijuana.
K2 can be produced using chemical compounds called JWH-018 or JWH-073, that were developed in the 1990's. These compounds are structured similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and can be legally acquired and sprayed onto varying mixtures of dried herbs, flowers and tobacco leaves. K2 is most widely known to produce mellow and euphoric feelings for users.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms
It can be hard to tell if someone has been using K2. Signs and symptoms of using the substance are similar to that of using marijuana. If someone shows several of the following warning signs, they may be using K2.
Your Brain
K2 interacts with brain receptors in a way that is said to be similar to marijuana, which means it affects the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed. Unlike marijuana, not much is known about the chemical makeup of K2.
Long Term Effects
It is unknown what the damaging long term effects of K2 are. Minimal testing has been done on mice and virtually no human testing has been done.
It's Not What it May Seem
K2 is an unregulated mixture of items. Although the effects of the active ingredient in K2 should produce a mellow and euphoric state, recent reports state that use of K2 has been shown to produce anxiety, rapid heart rate, dangerously high blood pressure and vomiting to severe paranoia and hallucinations. The user is not mellow, but sometimes delirious and in an anxious or agitated state.
Know the Law
As of November 2010 action by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) makes it illegal to possess or sell the five chemicals used to make K2 and other "fake pot" products for at least one year. The DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services will determine whether the chemicals should be permanently added to the federal list of controlled substances considered unsafe, highly abused and without medical use.
Quick Facts About K2 - Although K2 is marketed as synthetic marijuana, it's effects can be up to ten times more intense than marijuana.
- An explosion of the use of K2 seems to have started in early 2010. The increased number of emergency room visits related to the substance, has sparked the most recent attention of the media.
- According to Fake Pot Panic, an article in Newsweek in March 2010, there may be a contaminant in a K2 mixture being sold throughout the Midwestern U. S. that is causing the uncharacteristic effects and visits to emergency rooms.
