Most synthetic cannabinoids are agonists<\/em> of the endocannabinoid system<\/a>. They\u2019re designed to mimic the effects of THC in order to induce a similar high<\/em> users feel after smoking marijuana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are hundreds of individual compounds classified as synthetic THC or synthetic CBD \u2014 the vast majority of which have never been assessed for safety. There are reports of people experiencing severe and unpredictable physical or psychological side effects after using synthetic weed products like K2 or Spice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally-occurring forms of THC are extremely unlikely to lead to addiction or overdose \u2014 and there\u2019s a ton of scientific research to back this up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can\u2019t say the same about synthetic cannabinoids. All of them activate the ECS in some way, but many affect other receptor types as well \u2014 such as NMDA, GABA, dopamine, serotonin, or opiate receptors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a substance targets multiple separate receptors, they’re referred to as “dirty drugs.” They can lead to any number of undesirable or unexpected side effects as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, synthetic cannabinoids are illegal<\/strong> in most parts of the world, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it hasn\u2019t always been this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Synthetic cannabinoids used to be legal in many countries. They were sold as \u201cincense\u201d or legal highs in places where marijuana products were illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These compounds are sold under many different names, but the most pervasive is K2 or Spice, which used to be available in headshops and online stores. They often featured colorful packaging and had all kinds of catchy names, such as Joker, Black Mamba, Kush, or Kronic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After many reports of people experiencing lasting physical or psychological side effects from synthetic cannabinoids, governments started banning them. The problem was that as soon as the government would ban a particular molecule, manufacturers would invent and market another one that side-stepped the new regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was an ongoing game of cat and mouse between regulators and synthetic cannabis labs until eventually, the US federal government introduced a new law that made any New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) illegal. This ruling essentially makes all substances that have any psychoactive effect illegal by default. Only after careful analysis would a newly-formed psychoactive substance become legal \u2014 rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few prescription-only medications classified as synthetic cannabinoids that have gone through this process \u2014 such as Nabilone, Marinol (Dronabinol), and Dexanabinol Cannabinor, and CT-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Banning Spice didn\u2019t fix the problem \u2014 it actually made it much worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with any illegal drug, manufacturers were motivated to make new versions that are stronger than ever before. The market moved from a grey-area head shop business to the black market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spice that started appearing on the streets about a year after it was initially banned was an entirely different beast. It was much more addictive, much stronger, and much more dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are millions of people now addicted to Spice, some of which transitioned from using highly addictive drugs like heroin to Spice instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What could possibly be in this stuff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Synthetic marijuana products (AKA Spice or K2) are made by spraying any number of synthetic cannabinoids or other chemicals onto dried leaf matter (usually rosehip, nettle leaf, alfalfa, or others). People then smoke the leaves the same way they would for marijuana products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These products rarely name what was in them. Most were a combination of several ingredients that were completely untested. Harmful chemicals were even found in some samples in the US, including pharmaceutical medications like benzodiazepines or opiates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to the NPS ban, Spice was made exclusively with synthetic cannabinoids. Now, it could contain just about anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there have been deaths associated with synthetic cannabinoid use. Aside from the approved pharmaceutical products, there has yet to be any official research on synthetic cannabinoids. They\u2019re considered research chemicals<\/em> because little is known about their effects or safety profiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have also been countless reports of users experiencing both behavioral and physical addiction to these various synthetic cannabinoids \u2014 sometimes even after just a few weeks of use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all synthetic cannabinoids are inherently dangerous or addictive [1<\/a>], but without proper testing, it’s nearly impossible to know which products are going to cause serious side effects, addiction, or death. To make matters worse, most synthetic marijuana products contain a variety of these compounds \u2014 none of which are listed on the label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The addition of other ingredients like benzos, opiates, or other drugs also brings a great deal of risk when using these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the side-effects reported among people who have used synthetic cannabinoids include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some synthetic cannabinoids are as much as 100 times stronger than naturally occurring cannabinoids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s common for people to take far too much of these substances \u2014 leading to overdose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Granted, most of the overdose deaths from these products were driven by dangerous adulterants like opiates or benzodiazepines as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A common phenomenon among spice overdose cases is that they tend to appear in waves<\/em>. This suggests there are certain batches that have a particularly high incidence of harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in May 2018, nearly 100 people died, and hundreds of others suffered severe side effects after smoking Spice. Later that same year, 56 people overdosed in Brooklyn, New York<\/a>, and another 40 in Dallas, Texas<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dailycbd.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/04\/laboratory-setup-1024x558.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAre Synthetic Cannabinoids Legal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Blackmarket Spice Trade<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is K2 or Spice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dailycbd.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/04\/synthetic-cannabis.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAre Synthetic Cannabinoids Dangerous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There Have Been Deaths Reported From Synthetic Cannabis Consumption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n