Synthetic Marijuana Bust Highlights Growing Threat

You may remember that I recently released a video about how I talked to my son about drugs – in particular marijuana. If you haven’t already seen it, you can view it below.

The main message I wanted to convey with that video was that we can’t control our children any more than our parents were able to control us. (You remember being a kid.) What we can do is give them the tools to control their own behavior so that they make the best choices for themselves. They also need to know that even short-term seemingly harmless choices can have lasting consequences.

Just recently in New York City a huge synthetic marijuana bust shed light on the growing popularity of cheaper and more dangerous drugs on the market. Between January and April of this year, the Centers for Disease Control reported that monthly calls related to synthetic cannabis to the poison control centers around the country increased by 330 percent.

Regardless of your opinion about marijuana usage, be clear that synthetic marijuana is toxic and not at all natural. It isn’t even marijuana. Effects range from racing heartbeats, seizures, hallucinations, vomiting and even psychosis. In Waco, Texas, a man was sentenced to a year in jail after he strangled and tried to eat his roommate’s dog while under the influence. Behaviors are unpredictable and can be especially violent.

The Washington Times reported, “…a large part of the appeal of synthetic marijuana, often known by nicknames such as Spice or K2, is the fact it’s unlikely to show up in standard drug tests.” Also, “Washington, D.C. has been among the cities grappling to get a hold on rising synthetic drug use — with emergency workers recently transporting as many as 24 synthetic marijuana overdose patients a day to area hospitals.” Wendy Williams, the talk show host, revealed that her own teenage son had a serious bout with synthetic marijuana. She and her husband quickly sought treatment and she says her son is back on track now.

Children are naturally curious. Not bad kids, not good kids – all kids. The time to talk to your children is now. Don’t know how? The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has wonderful tools for parents to help them start the conversation and open the door to future discussions. Visit the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids at http://www.drugfree.org/the-parent-toolkit/age-by-age-advice/ for advice for every age group from 2 to young adults.

Whatever you do, make the conversation happen. It may be hard, it may be embarrassing and it may even be frustrating, but the conversation has to begin at home. For more information regarding the sources referenced in this article, visit Attn Article – No Such Thing as Synthetic Marijuana and Washington Times Reveals Drug Test Shortcomings Related to Synthetic Marijuana.

How do you plan to start the conversation (or have you had one already)? Let me know in the comments below. You might help out another parent struggling in this area.