With names like “spice” and “bath salts” they sound harmless enough. They’re sold in stores with everyday items like milk and candy. So, how bad can they be?
Ask Robin Smith, a Harford County mother of five, who saw her handsome, athletic, 15-year-old son slip into psychosis after he tried “spice”, or synthetic marijuana, in 2010. Three years, seventeen hospital admissions and four suicide attempts later, her dreams of a college scholarship for her son have been replaced by the grim hope that he doesn’t succeed in taking his own life.
“As a mother, I don’t have a choice but to continue fighting. I daily fight feelings of hopelessness and my anger forces me to persevere,” Smith wrote in a recent testimonial about the ravages of synthetic drugs. Her goals now are to educate others and get the drugs effectively outlawed.
Synthetic drugs produce a powerful high that can be accompanied by unpredictable symptoms, varying from one user, or use, to the next. Symptoms include seizures, hallucinations, paranoia, chest pain, insomnia, vomiting, and violent attempts at suicide. Yet, the drugs are remarkably accessible. In addition to the internet, they’re sold in head shops, gas stations and convenience stores, in small packets costing as little as $25.
“This is the number one issue that we’ve been seeing in the last year,” said Joe Ryan, manager of the Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy, and an organizer of a drug abuse prevention symposium held June 26th at Patterson Mill High School.
Stressing the drugs’ effects as a public health concern, Ryan said that the emergency room at Upper Chesapeake hospital has reportedly seen symptoms in 40 – 50 patients per month, although he said that there is no test for the drugs like there is for cocaine. At one local high school, Ryan said that it took three deputies to subdue one student under the influence.
Despite their names, synthetic marijuana, a.k.a. “spice” or “herbal incense”, and synthetic cocaine, a.k.a. “bath salts”, serve no legitimate purpose, according to DEA Special Agent “Chip” Cook, who gave the symposium’s keynote address. Legal sales persist, Cook said, because a 2012 federal ban on the chemicals in the drugs, later mirrored in Maryland law, has been skirted by manufacturers who made slight changes to the chemicals, leaving lawmakers to play catch up. Suppliers also cleverly label the drugs “not for human consumption” to avoid prosecution, he said.
Buyers have to know what to ask for at gas stations and conveniences stores, where Cook said they are kept behind the counter. But he offered one way for the drugs’ opponents to strike back: “If you know a place selling this junk, boycott it.”
Manufactured overseas in filthy, unregulated labs, Cook said that synthetic drugs emerged in the U. S. in 2008, but they are still new enough that no one is an expert, including medical professionals who are often unsure of treatment protocols.
Cook said that legal sales at local stores, combined with brand names like “Ivory Snow”, lead teenagers to believe the drugs can’t be that bad. Not so, said Cook: Synthetic drugs are “powerful, unpredictable and dangerous.” In his seventeen year career, he said, “This is the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen.”
Synthetic Marijuana/Spice/Herbal Incense
The chemical components in synthetic marijuana are manufactured primarily in China and India, Cook said, but also in Afghanistan, Russia, and in one instance, in the basement of a daycare in Serbia. The chemicals can be “100 times more potent than THC,” the active ingredient in the cannabis plant, Cook said, but rather than bringing the user down, they cause the opposite behavior: “whacked out,” he called it.
The chemicals are mixed with various plant materials and sold in packets costing $30 – $50, Cook said, under brand names like K2, Wicked X and a popular brand name in Maryland: Hysteria. Users typically smoke synthetic marijuana, or “fake weed,” although Cook said that it is sometimes eaten.
Use has skyrocketed nationally, with fewer than 15 calls to poison control centers in 2009 jumping to 13,000 by 2011, Cook said.
Synthetic Cocaine/Bath Salts
A manufactured version of the chemical found in the khat plant of east Africa, synthetic cocaine is a nervous system stimulant in the form of a white or off-white powder or crystal, hence the name “bath salts,” Cook said. Similar to synthetic marijuana, it’s sold in packets costing $25-50, under brand names in Maryland such as Hulk, Taz, Speedy and Road Runner. Users typically snort, smoke or ingest synthetic cocaine.
The growing use of synthetic cocaine is also reflected in nationwide calls to poison control centers, with 302 calls in 2010 rising to 5,600 in 2011, Cook said.
Through the combined efforts of federal agencies, a nationwide crackdown on synthetic drugs made from banned chemicals took place in July 2012, and Cook said it won’t be the last. However, Ryan cautioned symposium attendees, “I’m here to tell you that we can’t arrest our way out of this problem.”
Three years after her own shocking introduction to synthetic marijuana, Harford County parent Robin Smith is on a nationwide crusade to help others and get synthetic drugs off the street. She calls herself “one angry mom,” especially at the stores that sell the drugs regardless of their devastating impact.
She is currently working locally with Harford County Sherriff Jesse Bane on a possible ordinance to stop the legal sales. A petition she started in 2012 to fight synthetic marijuana in Maryland is still active despite bans on the drug’s major chemical components, because she knows that manufacturers get around the bans by making minor alterations. Smith also said she needs the petition signatures for a September rally she is planning in Washington D.C. as part of her national effort to warn others: “This is a silent form of terrorism that is slowly taking people’s lives away.”
Robin Smith’s petition can be found here: http://www.change.org/petitions/against-synthetic-marijuana-in-maryland
Anyone wishing to contact Robin Smith about her advocacy efforts is invited to contact her robinsnest1814@yahoo.com
More information on synthetic drugs can be found at the following Web sites:
www.justthinktwice.com (for teenagers)
www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com (for parents and caregivers)
www.dea.gov
www.nida.gov
www.ondcp.gov
Terrorism?
Great job Ms. Smith. As a person who works in the field of addictions, I can say that this is close to an epidemic. This crap is marketed to the youth. It is NOT marijuana. It is not even close. I have seen numerous cases of people, otherwise normal people, ending up in psychiatric units for days, weeks and some for even months on end from using this crap. I will be in contact through your email.
I have a Dear Friend..who’s sons in trouble..and not bath salts. Can you help?
My sympathies to you and your family. Your son’s is a sad and far too common story. Being uncertain that you know the beginning of the story, I will try to elucidate a bit: In Genesis 1:29, God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.” His word was followed by many many millions of His children for thousands of years.
In the twentieth century, however, a group of very wise men known as Politicians decided that this was unacceptable, and determined that if a man should be found in possession of particular species of those seed-bearing plants that God had created, he should be taken from his family and life and imprisoned. This inevitably led to an attempted synthetisation of these species by men that enjoyed them, but wanted to remain free and continue to care for their loved ones.
Lacking the boundless wisdom of God, what man created was not the same. It proved to be both addictive and destructive, nothing at all like His creation. But by then it was too late. The dissimilar creation took hold of man, skewing his perceptions and reshaping his mind to serve it and it only. Man could not clearly see that what he had created was destroying him.
Along came your son, curious as most teens are his age. I believe you are painfully aware of the rest. It’s a shame God didn’t get to him first.
Terrorism? Seriously? Does anyone accept responsibility anymore for their own actions
Children and parents could take responsibility if they didn’t have legislatures and media pushing the idea that drugs (legalized recreational marijuana) are a fun way to express your self and that the only people who have a problem with them are control freak parents with out of date concepts of morality.
Yup always blame someone else
Calling this poison “synthetic marijuana” is part of the problem. For four decades, most young people have known that pot is relatively harmless. When you give the impression that this dangerous chemical is similar, you are unknowingly encouraging kids to try it.
Judging by your thumbs down, it seems people prefer other people to take their responsibility.
For those of you that question the word Terrorism in this article – It is so true , do not judge not unless you have been through it . I was terrorized by my own son who is addicted to spice . I did the right thing , I have called the sheriff , yes on my own son but they could not do nothing their hands are tied as well . If your loved one is over 18 – yes they can ask them to leave your house , under 18 well that is a different story and much red tape away – basically you can give your own child away into foster care only if they meet standards . Now ask yourself would you do that ? Numerous hospital stays and violent outburst . If this was illegal then ” My Son as well as many other’s could accept responsibility by being arrested and going to jail ” . I have watched my son destroy his own life . I have spent thousands on rehab . Ask me where my son is and I will tell you I do not know because for my own safety and the safety of my other children and with the help of the sheriff when he turned 18 , told him to leave . I gave him a tent, sleeping bag and said go . Did he physically abuse me , did he steal from his family , did we sleep in shifts , ABSOLUTELY YES . This is not like a marijuana “high” . As with any addict you can cut them off but they will find a way to feed their addiction . I followed my son one day to the BP station is Aberdeen , after he left the station I went in just to see and guess what he sold it to me , I was so angry I screamed at the man and I told him “This is killing my Son , This is Killing my family ” I understand Robin Smith . There are more Robin Smith’s in this county and I think the number would shock you . She is like so many of us , we are sick of it . Difference is she is doing something about it . I applaud her for it , I will help in any way . To some family’s this subject no matter the type of addiction it is considered “taboo” to talk about . The terror is still the same .
No one will argue that drug abuse and addiction are horrible things that often lead to horrible results, but even so they do not amount to, “terrorism.” To keep things simple, the word terrorism implies an intentional and often systematic use of violence as a means of achieving a greater (and often political) goal. While I obviously cannot speak for the people who manufacture and market these substances I think it is highly unlikely that they are doing so for any reason other than profit. Being terrified does not amount to being a victim of terrorism, and to use the word in the context of drug abuse does little more than sensationalize an issue that should be examined, discussed and addressed rationally.
It would be wonderful if there was a list of places that sold this stuff so we can boycott those stores. I shop a lot at different sites in different areas and I sure would boycott those places.
You are confusing and misusing words and that does not help anyone involved! This is not terrorism. This IS another case of either poorly defined laws or poor enforcement of laws around these products. You would have a greater impact if you look to the root cause of how these products are allowed to remain on shelves and be accessible that confuse people with “terrorism” labels. The fact that young people are ingesting this garbage is an addiction problem and addiction has been around as long as we have walked the earth. Sure there are ways to deal with addicts and that is always heartbreaking and often leads to a tragic ending, but the real focus from the public must be to press for answers around “how” does this dangerous product remain on our shelves. Alternatively, is this yet another product that is poorly regulated, dangerous, easily accessible, destructive, sometimes lethal, etc.? That sounds an awful lot like a drug – be careful on declaring a war on it because we have a very poor track record fighting those “wars.”
My 23-year-old son has been in a psychiatric unit for the past 4 days with severe paranoia and delusions. He had been using this drug intermittenly. Our hearts are broken. Thank you all for sharing.
How anyone can find fault in a statement from a mother who’s watching one of her children destroy himself is beyond me. The title of this article is irrelevant. It’s the substance of this written piece that is of the utmost importance. As a parent, I THANK YOU, both Robin Smith and Cindy Mumby, from the bottom of my heart for bringing to light the garbage that some are selling, especially to kids. I’ve heard the phrase “Synthetic Drugs” but never paid much attention. Of course, my kids would never tamper with anything of the sort. Knowledge is power and again, I’m grateful for the information presented. To Robin Smith, I hope and pray your son finds his way back to you and his family. In the mean time, your work may save many a teenager’s life. Kudos to you…..
K – just FYI – I to was the parent who thought ” My kids would never tamper with anything of the sort” . But to my own ignorance my son , honor roll , well rounded not much trouble did . Addiction does not discriminated . Trust me , many nights I stayed awake and questioned my own parenting skills and asked myself “where did I go wrong ” .
Carol, your son could be a child of any of us. We all do the best we can. Sometimes, outside influences overwhelm the good we try to instill in our kids. I hope you’ve managed to find some peace while contending with the demons your son has encountered.
Could we put these chemists out of business by legalizing marijuana?
Is there a list anywhere of the places that sell this stuff?
I would be happy to share it with everyone I know in an effort to clean up this county by boycott.
EZ-Quick in Havre de Grace sells it.
Time to send out the lynch mob.
String’em up
One more example of the fallout from politicians lying to us. If they were honest about marihuana, then kids wouldn’t assume they are lying about drugs that ARE seriously dangerous.
That’s exactly right. A lot of people started using this stuff like pot and now have serious problems. Its a travesty. This stuff causes Serotonin Toxicity which causes cardiac tachycardia which will kill you by stroke.
K says…..98% of parents had the same thought my kid would “Never” touch that stuff, My kid was a honors student thru all of her schooling, athlete, colleges were recruiting, Etc., well guess what, got involved in drugs, became an addict.
Bureaucracy is screwing the pooch on this. Make it illegal already.
Pay attention: Every time they update the laws to make it illegal, the chemists change the formula, to sell a variant that is legal. The only solution is education that the kids will trust. Unfortunately, trust will take time. It is easy to lose credibility, but hard to gain it back.
And everytime they change the formulae it gets a little more dirty and more toxic until it will kill you, like the fruit punch 3x they sell now.
When you close the skateparks because of lawsuits, give your kids anti depressants and Ritalin, when the police harass them because some prick calls the cop on them for walking outside; This is what you get. BATHSALT ZOMBIES.
Get off of my lawn.
Natural selection, it’s science people.
Just lke cigarettes and alcohol this is just another attempt to put a band-aid over a gunshot wound. Tring to get a substance banned only encourages the teen mind to seek it out. Education and being open and honest with your kids is unfortunately the only way to abate a youngsters desire to be a radical against their own health. Wheb I first heard of these drugs the gas stations and tobacco stores were crowded with barely legal teens trying to acquire them. We tell them not to use natural drugs like Marijuana because they are illegal yet pose minimal health risk. So they look for a legal way to become radical and search out the new legal chemical compounds. It’s a new world with synthetic drugs as the choice of the future, banning spice or bath salts will only send these new high scientist back to the lab to create new moneymakers. Since you have to be over 18 to buy this product in most places make the legal age 18 and prosecute those who contribute to minors. Educate your children to make better choices instead of consistently blaming the drug, blaming the drug has had no effect on reducing Americas drug problem, Has it?
Their is a battle going on for the future of your kids. These drug dealers could care less about your kids. The drugs they are putting on the streets are far more powerful than the pot you smoked in college. The drugs are pouring into America for one reason………….. you morons are consuming them. These new drugs are more powerful, do more damage and are much more difficult to quit.
Drugs like Meth and Crack will have the user chasing a “high” that they will NEVER be able to replicate from the first time you use it and that is the point. When the user consumes more in hopes of getting to the first “high” they become dependent on the drug and will beg, borrow and steal to get more of it. The dealers and the drug cartels know this………………….. why do you think they want to make your kids addicts? It is a constant stream of revenue for the drug cartels and the dealers with a huge profit margin.
When you use xbox, MTV and Methylphenidate to raise your kids what do expect will happen to them? You kids have no idea who Vernon McGarity, Daniel K. Inouye, James L. Stone are but look to fake celebrities like Kim Katrashian, Jay-Z and Lindsay Lohan as role models.
You need to pay attention to what you kids are doing and educate them. Fortune 500 companies pay millions of dollars to marketing companies, celebrities, television networks and the music industry just to influence your kid’s buying habits. This happens at a very early age. When you kids are screaming for the newest toy, where do you think they learned it from? Your kids are programmed to think certain cereal is cool, certain clothes are cool, certain music is cool.
This multi-billion dollar business is all being controlled by a select few companies. When your kids don’t have the cool clothes, the newest video games or the newest iphone (your dumbass runs out and gets it for them)………….and why? Because you don’t want your kids to be picked on or to stand out from the conformist sheep. It is a bit ironic now that drugs are the “cool” thing to do (in the minds of kids) that you all seem surprised that your kids flock to experiment and become habitual users.
Ask yourself how many of your kids are around when you drink? What kind of message do you think you are sending your kids when you let them witness you drunk?
Get involved at a very early age in your children’s lives. Talk openly and honestly about drugs, alcohol and smoking. Limit their access to networks like Viacom who could care less about your kids well being and would rather your kids be “16 and pregnant”. Teach them who real heroes are by taking them to Arlington Cemetery and showing them the thousands of men and woman who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that you could have your freedom. Separate your kids from the bad apples as early as you spot them as one bad apple spoils the bunch.
The war that is being waged on your kids is happening right now. The question is………. will you fight for your kid’s future or will you surrender to the drug dealers, Viacom, Kim Kartrashian and the multi-nationals?
The spice must flow.
What happened to parents giving a good old fashioned kick in the ass to these kids when they do something wrong?
Are we too soft as a society?
My son experienced 5 days worth of seizures last Jan 2012 and he is still struggling day by day. I’ve reported the stores that I know sell these products and recently heard that at least one of them has stopped selling it because of a friendly police visit. YAY!
This stuff causes Serotonin Toxicity which causes cardiac tachycardia which will kill you by stroke or ischemia. POISON.
If the war on drugs has taught us anything, it has taught us that a war on drugs doesnt work. The progressive idea that laws will stop people from certain activity is absurd. Someone looking to get high will get high. Many of these people are seeking rebellion or an escape from something. I place the burden of guilt on the parents, since from my experience, most of these drug seekers are midguided, abused or lack moral values. Sadly, in the end, it comes down to the fact that these chemicals are readily available vs marijuana, which would have been a much safer alternative, had it been legal.
Amen.
My son is 19 years old. Last fall after graduating from high school in Harford County, he started be very depressed. Things have spiraled out of control. After a hospitalization of 12 days with threats of suicide, hallucinations, and some paranoia he is no better. We know is has used spice and pot. But I am not putting the blame on anyone but my son. He was raised in a good safe home with parents that love him very much. He makes the choices to use and abuse substances. As much as my husband and I want him to stop he doesn’t. We have tried to get him help and be as supportive as we can be but he keeps doing the drugs. I have had to come to terms that this now mental illness is never going away and most likely neither is the use of these drugs. The therapist that my son has been seeing says was came first the chicken or the egg? This is not going away in our communities, drugs will be there. It is if your child can say NO!!!! A mother mourning the loss of her alive son that will never be the same!!!! And we will never be too!!!
Shut up Nancy Reagan. He does drugs because your a Nazi! Maybe if u take that starbiucks latte out of your @55 and be chill he would wanna live?
Please be aware that the vast majority of people who smoke synthetic marijuana are simply people who enjoy smoking marijuana, but are so sick of being ostracized by a disgustingly ignorant legal system that they are willing to take the health risk to live without the constant fear of incarceration. I hope you realize that this is the entire reason that this stuff was ever dreamed up. Your time would be better spent fighting for the legalization of marijuana than yet another prohibition of yet another substance. Prohibition absolutely fails every time. This much we do know. The fact that this is still even considered as a solution to the problem is beyond comprehension.
My sympathies to you and your family. Your son’s is a sad and far too common story. Being uncertain that you know the beginning of the story, I will try to elucidate a bit: In Genesis 1:29, God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.” His word was followed by many many millions of His children for thousands of years.
In the twentieth century, however, a group of very wise men known as Politicians decided that this was unacceptable, and determined that if a man should be found in possession of particular species of those seed-bearing plants that God had created, he should be taken from his family and life and imprisoned. This inevitably led to an attempted synthetisation of these species by men that enjoyed them, but wanted to remain free and continue to care for their loved ones.
Lacking the boundless wisdom of God, what man created was not the same. It proved to be both addictive and destructive, nothing at all like His creation. But by then it was too late. The dissimilar creation took hold of man, skewing his perceptions and reshaping his mind to serve it and it only. Man could not clearly see that what he had created was destroying him.
Along came your son, curious as most teens are his age. I believe you are painfully aware of the rest. It’s a shame God didn’t get to him first.
Legalize a plant and there will be no more spice issues.