A growing number of deaths due to synthetic drug overdose have continued to plague Syracuse, New York, since the public has not yet acquired enough knowledge about this so-called "legal high."
With the use of cannabis being illegal in New York, drug manufacturers have created a synthetic substance, commonly called "Spice" or "Spikes", that mimcs the effects of the organic drug.
According to Rolling Stone, aside from getting people high, synthetic marijuana is cheaper and costs about $1 a joint, and would not fail its users at drug tests. This cannabis alternative has developed a high sale among drug users until it was made illegal in 2011.
Despite violations imposed by the government, suppliers from China are still able to pass through the loopholes in U.S. and continue selling this highly-addictive drug.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, "Spice" is the second most popular illegal drug among students in high school. In the past year, 5% of teens in 12th grade reportedly use synthetic marijuana.
With effects like violent and animalistic actions, seizures, and extreme vomiting when taken excessively, laboratories have not yet measured the right amount of dosage.
Arresting drug kingpins prompts new suppliers to sell the same type of synthetic cannabinoids, but with different chemical mixtures, making it more dangerous for its users. Also included under this type of drugs are bath salts and "Flakka".
Synthetic cannabinoids a Schedule 1 drug, joining the likes of Marijuana, Heroin, LSD, Mescaline, MDMA and Ecstasy to name some. The lack of availability and it being illegal give researchers a hard time indentifying and educating a detailed safety guideline on its use.
With its adverse effects and changing chemical composition, taking "Spice" can be deadly with its unknown regular amount of safety dosage.
According to a study, synthetic marijuana may have caused 19 deaths among prisoners in the United States.
