Synthetic Marijuana, or Spice Easy access and the erroneous perception that Spice products are “natural” and therefore harmless have likely contributed to their

popularity, much to the detriment of teens.

Synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to as spice, was available for legal purchase by teens in the U.S. until July of 2012.  Because the chemicals contained in Spice have a high potential for abuse with no medical benefits, the Drug Enforcement Administration designated the 5 most commonly found as Schedule 1 controlled substances. This made them illegal to possess, buy or sell.

Manufactures of synthetic marijuana claimed that it was made from natural herbs that produced a high much like marijuana.  Because it was cheap and easy to buy, along with its perceived safety, it became very popular among teens.

Spice products are popular among young people; of the illicit drugs most used by high-school seniors, they are second only to marijuana. (They are more popular among boys than girls — in 2012, nearly twice as many male 12th graders reported past-year use of synthetic marijuana as females in the same age group.)

Visit http://visual.ly/rise-spice?utm_source=visually_embed to see a large view of the infographic.

Spice can raise the blood pressure, reduce blood flow to the heart, and has been associated with heart attacks. Synthetic marijuana does not produce positive results for cannabis on urine or hair drug screens; making it even more appealing to teens. If you suspect that your teen may be using synthetic marijuana, http://secretdrugtest.com/ has a home drug test that will detect it.

Additional source:  http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana