The Dangers of Synthetic Marijuana

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Synthetic marijuana contains mind-altering chemicals that are human-made with unknown ingredients. It’s often sold as a liquid so that it can be used in e-cigarettes. You may also see it sprayed on dried or shredded plant material so that it can be smoked. Two of the most common names for this substance are K2 and Spice.

Also known as fake weed, this substance might be marketed as safe, but it is anything but. The dangers of synthetic marijuana include paranoia, aggression, psychosis, seizures, and overdose, among many more risks.

Why Is Using Synthetic Marijuana So Dangerous?

Synthetic marijuana is particularly dangerous because it affects the brain more powerfully than natural marijuana. Its effects are also more unpredictable, and it can be more dangerous or life-threatening. It is part of a group of substances called new psychoactive substances (NPS), which produce the same effects as other illegal drugs.

The types of effects you may experience from synthetic marijuana include:

• Respiratory difficulties
• Hypertension
• Tachycardia
• Chest pain
• Muscle twitches
• Acute renal failure
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Suicidal ideation
• Cognitive impairment

Chronic use frequently results in serious medical and psychiatric conditions. It can even lead to death.

Manufacturer-Based Risks

Marketing for synthetic marijuana is often inaccurate, misleading, visually attractive, and overly accessible. Although it’s labeled as not for human consumption, the labels also claim it’s derived from plants despite the fact that its active, mind-altering cannabinoid compounds are made in laboratories.

Packaging is designed to attract consumers and can be brightly colored foil packages or plastic bottles. Additionally, accessibility is a problem as it can be purchased over the internet, at gas stations, novelty stores, or drug paraphernalia shops.

Short- and Long-Term Side Effects of Synthetic Marijuana

You can experience short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) side effects of synthetic marijuana. The most prevalent and pervasive psychological effects are the development of mental health disorders like affective disorders, schizophrenia, and psychotic states.

These acute and long-term side effects can occur across seven areas of functioning: neuropsychiatric, cognitive, cardiovascular, neurologic, gastrointestinal, and other.

Neuropsychiatric Functioning

The short-term neuropsychiatric dangers of synthetic marijuana include:

• Persistent psychotic episodes
• Paranoia
• Perceptual alterations
• Catatonia
• Auditory and visual hallucinations
• Aggression
• Agitation

Long-term synthetic marijuana use increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders, especially in those with risk factors.

Regulation

Acute affect risks include suicidal ideation, negative mood, depression, mania, and panic attacks, while long-term dangers include irritability, chronic depression, and persistent anxiety.

Cognitive Abilities

Synthetic marijuana use can cause short-term cognitive dangers, such as amnesia, attention difficulties, and alterations in memory. Chronic use can cause deficits in executive functioning specific to working memory and attentional capacities.

Cardiovascular Issues

Synthetic marijuana can cause many heart issues in the short-term, such as:

• Heart palpitations
• Tachycardia
• Chest pain
• Hypertension
• Arrhythmias
• Heart attack

Long-term cardiovascular dangers of synthetic marijuana include cardiovascular disease.

Neurological Issues

Synthetic cannabinoid use can cause short-term neurological risks, including:

• Involuntary muscle contractions and twitches
• Dizziness
• Sensation changes
• Sleepiness
• Hyperextension
• Muscle tightness
• Seizures

Preliminary evidence indicates that long-term synthetic marijuana use can cause functional and structural alterations in the central nervous system.

Gastrointestinal Issues

Acute gastrointestinal effects of synthetic marijuana include nausea, vomiting, and changes in appetite, while long-term use can cause severe weight loss.

Other Complications

Other complications of synthetic marijuana use may include:

• Deficiencies in driving ability
• Acute kidney injury
• Cough
• Abdominal pain
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Miosis (excessive constriction of the pupil)
• Mydriasis (dilation of the pupil)
• Fatigue
• Hyperthermia
• Xerostomia (the salivary glands in your mouth do not produce enough saliva and, therefore, cause dry mouth)

Long-term dangers of synthetic marijuana include dependence, withdrawal, tolerance, kidney disease, nightmares, and insomnia.

If you have pre-existing medical conditions that involve respiratory difficulties, hypertension, heart problems, and cognitive problems, using synthetic marijuana would likely exacerbate these conditions and lead to potentially life-threatening consequences.

Typically, symptoms and the effects of synthetic marijuana are short-lived.⁵ However, severe toxicity, which can last as long as 12 hours, has a prognosis that begins with preliminary characteristics of severe agitation and restlessness and then evolves into critical life-threatening medical states of coma or seizure.⁵

Addiction and Overdose Risk

Synthetic marijuana, like most mind-altering substances, is addictive. Once you’ve developed a synthetic marijuana addiction, it may be difficult to quit, given that addiction involves compulsive and uncontrollable use regardless of negative consequences. If you are addicted to synthetic marijuana, you are likely dependent as well, which means you need to keep using this drug to stave off withdrawal symptoms. Synthetic marijuana withdrawal symptoms may include:

• Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Headaches

Similar to other synthetically made substances, you can also overdose on synthetic marijuana by taking too much of it, wittingly or unwittingly, and then experiencing serious symptoms or even death. Synthetic marijuana overdose symptoms include:

• Seizures
• Kidney damage
• Reduced blood supply to the heart
• Elevated blood pressure
• Toxic reactions

Because synthetic marijuana is unregulated and batches may differ from one another, you can never really know what’s in the drug you are taking. Synthetic marijuana is often cut with fentanyl, a deadly and powerful opioid that has led to countless overdose deaths across the country.

Synthetic Marijuana Addiction Treatment

Unlike opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder, which are responsive to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), there is no current MAT option for treating synthetic marijuana use disorder. More importantly, empirically validated treatment is unknown at this time.

Otherwise, synthetic marijuana addiction is treated in much the same way as a marijuana addiction is. Behavioral therapies are used to change maladaptive behaviors, enhance coping skills, and address underlying influences on synthetic marijuana use.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you increase the capacity for self-control, cease synthetic marijuana use, and address overlapping problems (e.g., codependency, depression, trauma, etc.) by learning strategies for correcting maladaptive patterns of behavior.

Contingency management is a strategy that provides tangible rewards for desired behaviors, such as abstinence and substance-free urine tests. This incentivization can help encourage abstinence and create new, substance-free behaviors.

Motivational enhancement therapy is a systematic intervention. This therapy does not attempt to treat you; rather, it aims to generate quick, internally motivated change. This can be helpful for someone who is ambivalent about seeking treatment at an inpatient or outpatient rehab.

If you are addicted to synthetic marijuana or know someone who is, we can help. Call our confidential helpline at 800-681-1058 (Sponsored) to speak to a knowledgeable treatment support specialist about your rehab options, both near you and in other states.