Narcotic Educational Foundation of America Abuse Education Provider of the: California Narcotic Officers’ Association K2/SPICE–SYNTHETIC

QUICK FACTS: K2/Spice products are a mixture of herbal/spice plant products sprayed with potent psychotropic , often contaminated with unidentified toxic substances which contribute to various adverse health effects, also cause hallucinogenic effects similar to effects of PCP. Marketed under variety of slang names including K2, Spice, Pep Spice, Spice Silver, Spice Gold, Spice Diamond, Smoke, Sence, Skunk, Yucatan Fire, Genie & Zohai. Sold in variety of colors/flavors-usually sold in foil packaging a plant from the family, is illegal and highly psychoactive. Dried herbs laced with synthetic like JWH-018 & HU-210 have been found in “Spice.” JWH-018 is likely to have similar effects in humans as Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinal (9-THC) the main active ingredient of . Some “Spice” has been reported to contain HU-210 a Schedule I controlled substance. There are several other brand names of this product being sold. “Spice” has been known to be sold at smoke shops, “head shops” and online.

HISTORY OF DRUG SOLD AS “INCENSE” MARKED (continued from column 1) Synthetic cannabis products, sold under the “NOT FOR HUMAN cannabis, such as THC. A large and com- brand name Spice first appeared in Europe plex variety of , in 2004. The brand "Spice" was released in CONSUMPTION” most often , JWH- 2004 by the now dormant company “The 018, JWH-073, or HU-210, are used in Psyche Deli” in London, UK. In 2006 the Symptoms/Side-Effects: an attempt to avoid the laws which make brand gained popularity. According to the cannabis illegal, making synthetic canna- Financial Times the assets of The Psyche ♦ Delusions bis a . It has been sold un- Deli rose in 2007. In 2009 ‘Spice’ products der various brand names, online, in head were identified in 21 of the 30 participating ♦ Hallucinations shops and at some gas stations. countries. Because 'Spice' was the domi- nant brand until 2009, the competing ♦ Loss of consciousness It is often marketed as "herbal incense", brands that started to appear from 2008 on, however some brands market their prod- were also dubbed 'Spice'. Spice can there- ♦ ucts as "herbal smoking blends". In either fore relate to both the brand 'Spice', as to case the products are usually smoked by all herbal blends with synthetic cannabi- ♦ Increased aggravation users. Although synthetic cannabis does noids added. A survey the UK in 2009, not produce positive results in drug tests found that one in eight respondents had ♦ Panic attacks for cannabis, it is possible to detect its used synthetic cannabis, compared to 85% metabolites in human urine. The syn- who had used cannabis. ♦ Dilated pupils thetic cannabinoids contained in syn-

thetic cannabis products have been made Synthetic cannabis is a psychoactive herbal ♦ Elevated blood pressure illegal in many European countries. and chemical product which, when con- sumed mimics the . It is Elevated heart rate On 24 November 2010, the U.S. Drug best known by the brand names K2 and ♦ Enforcement Agency announced it would Spice, both of which have largely become make five synthetic cannabinoids Sched- generalized trademarks used to refer to any ♦ ule I drugs within a month using emer- synthetic cannabis product. (It is also for gency powers. Prior to the announce- this reason that synthetic cannabis is often ♦ / ment, several US states had already made referred to as spice product.) ♦ Numbness/tingling them illegal under state law. As of March 1st, 2011, five cannabinoids, JWH-018, When synthetic cannabis blends first went JWH-073, CP-47,497, JWH-200, and on sale in the early 2000s it was thought cannabicyclohexanol are now illegal in that they achieved an effect through a mix- the US. ture of legal herbs. Laboratory analysis in 2008 showed this was not the case and that they in fact contained synthetic cannabi- noids which act on the body in a similar way to cannabinoids are naturally found in

(continued column 3, this page) INGREDIANTS SUMMARY OF EFFECTS INGREDIENTS SYNTHETIC WITH SPICE CANNABINOID Synthetic cannabis is claimed by the Researchers at the University of manufacturers to contain a mixture of Freiburg in Germany announced traditionally used medicinal herbs, ♦ Redness eyes (Conjuctiva) an active substance in Spice was an each of which supposedly produces undisclosed analogue of the synthetic mild effects, with the overall blend ♦ Dilated Pupils cannabinoid CP 47,497. resulting in the cannabis-like intoxi- Along with its dimethylhexyl, di- cation. Herbs listed on the packaging ♦ Non-convergence methyloctyl and dimethylnonyl of Spice include Canavalia maritima, homologues, they were added to the Nymphaea caerulea, Scutellaria ♦ Droopy eyelids German controlled drug schedules. nana, Pedicularis densiflora, Leono- The analogue of CP 47,497 was tis leonurus, , Ne- ♦ Failure to estimate time & distance named cannabicyclohexanol. JWH- lumbo nucifera and Leonurus sibiri- 018. It is one of the active compo- cus. However, when the product was nents in at least three versions of analyzed by laboratories it was found SAFETY Spice, sold in a number of countries that many of the characteristic around the world since 2002 as in- "fingerprint" molecules expected to No official studies have been conducted on cense. be present from the claimed plant its effects on humans. Though its effects are After the German prohibition of ingredients were not. There were also not well documented, extremely large doses JWH-018 took place, it was found large amounts of synthetic toco- may cause negative effects that are generally that the compound had been replaced pherol present. This suggested that not noted in marijuana users, such as in- with JWH-073. Different ratios of the actual ingredients might not be creased agitation and vomiting. Professor JWH- 018 and CP 47,497 and their the same as what was listed on the John W. Huffman who first synthesized analogues have been found in differ- packet. A government risk assess- many of the cannabinoids used in synthetic ent brands of synthetic cannabis and ment of the product conducted in cannabis is quoted as saying, "People who manufacturers constantly change the November 2008 concluded; it was use it are idiots." "You don't know what it's composition of their products. The unclear what the actual plant ingredi- going to do to you." A user who consumed amount of JWH-018 in Spice has ents were, where the synthetic toco- 3 g of Spice Gold every day for several been found to vary from 0.2% to 3%. pherol had come from, and whether months showed withdrawal symptoms, simi- Another potent synthetic cannabi- the subjective cannabis-like effects lar to those associated with withdrawing from noid, HU-210, has been reported to were actually produced by any of the the use of narcotics. Doctors treating a user have been found in Spice seized by claimed plant ingredients. It sug- also noted that his use of the product showed U.S. Customs and Border Protection. gested the high might be caused by a signs associated with . One case has synthetic cannabinoid drug. been reported where a user, who had previ- ously suffered from cannabis induced recur- rent psychotic episodes, suffered reactivation of his symptoms after using Spice. Psychia- trists treating him have suggested that the lack of an chemical, similar to found in natural cannabis, it is more likely to induce .

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