For my current event analysis, I am
responsible for covering the topic of marijuana and synthetics. The current
event article I chose as a representation of this topic is “State Issues New
Ban on Synthetic Marijuana” dated January 30th, 2015 from a news
station in New Orleans, Louisiana. This article addressed that there are new
forms of synthetic marijuana out in society and the consequences have been
deadly.
The Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal,
has added several new varieties to the list of banned synthetic drugs, but the
problem resulting is that drug makers keep finding loopholes to get drugs back
in stores just by tweaking and changing their formulas.Dr.
Peter Winsauer with LSU Health Sciences Center, explains that the drugs are not
going to have the same effects as marijuana and that the drug has been linked
to several recent deaths and numerous hospitalizations in Louisiana. He goes on
to explain that people who use the drug tend to feel very anxious, agitated,
and proceed to act out, do bizarre things and eventually end up being hospitalized.
Additionally, it is pointed out that this type of behavior often comes with
suicidal thoughts. Dr. Winsauer is also quoted explaining that “They [drug
makers] don’t know what they’re making, and it can be attached with all kinds
of impurities, and once those impurities get into the brain, the brain’s going
to respond to it in a negative way”. Another important point the article makes
is that just because the drug is sold in stores, does not make it safe. All
types of people, ranging from students to people that are employed, were buying
this drug to get high, because they thought that they were not breaking the
law. The article explains that Louisiana poison control received more than
17,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana, which has contributed to the ban
of these substances. After targeted crackdowns, there are no longer stores that
sell the drug.
This article, and the class material of
synthetics in general, is relevant and important to society in many ways. In
this class we discussed how drugs are classified, and more specifically, how
drugs are classified under the Controlled Substances Act. According to whitehouse.gov, “The Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act is part of the FDA Safety and
Innovation Act of 2012, signed into law by President Obama. The law
permanently places 26 types of synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones into
Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).” I think that
this article supports the fact that most chemicals found in synthetic marijuana
should be Schedule I substances considering there is no health benefit and
there is a high safety risk and potential for abuse. In addition to the
Synthetic Drug Prevention Act, the government has taken several other steps in
order to ban synthetic drug products and increase public safety from synthetic
drugs. Identity, purity, and potency are some
other topics covered in class that are very relevant to society, and synthetic
drugs in particular, today. Identifying exactly what you are consuming while
taking synthetic drugs can be difficult and you can never be sure of its purity
or potency. The contents and effects of these drugs are unpredictable due to
the constant changing formulas and of the chemicals used in manufacturing in
order for drug makers to avoid bans on these substances.
On a personal note, for someone who has
seen the effects of synthetic marijuana first hand, I think that it is
extremely important for society to be aware of the dangers and consequences of
using synthetic drugs. Three years ago, a friend of mine passed away after
smoking a form of synthetic marijuana. Logan drowned in less than 2 feet of
water in a park after smoking “Jazz”. His death was not caused directly from
smoking the substance, however the medical examiner linked it with the cause of
death. His actions, while under the influence of the synthetic marijuana, ultimately
led to his death. I think it is important to emphasize that Logan was not
addicted nor a frequent user of this drug and he still ended up paying the
ultimate price for experimenting with it. I think this shows that drugs do not
have to be addicting to be dangerous, and just one bad experience with a drug
can have devastating consequences.
Link to article:
Resources:
"Synthetic Drugs (a.k.a. K2, Spice, Bath
Salts, Etc.)." The White House. Office of the National Drug Control
Policy, n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
Yates, Wynton. "State
Issues New Ban on Synthetic Marijuana." Wwltv.com. Gannett, 30 Jan.
2015. Web.
First of all, I'm very sorry for your loss. It is very discouraging to me that companies continue to try to make drugs circumvent national laws, especially when they can be as dangerous as the are! Hopefully new legislation will keep this under control, and hopefully people get educated about how dangerous these drugs can be. Thank you for sharing your experience!
ReplyDelete~Christina Smith
Caitlyn, I'm sorry for your loss and it's always horrible to hear about someone losing his or her life due to drugs. I think it's irresponsible that these drug makers are comparing the synthetics to marijuana. The effects of smoking synthetics are obviously different than those of marijuana. It's become such a common belief that these are harmless drugs and it's troublesome for our country. Very thorough analysis and an overall great post.
ReplyDeleteI think I speak for everyone, Caitlyn, when I say we are sorry to hear about your friend Logan.
ReplyDeleteIn the pursuit of greed, companies will always attempt to work around the law, and I think no example proves the point better than the producers of synthetic marijuana. Being little more than some mix of herbs laced with a chemical produced in a lab, every batch of synthetic cannabinoids can prove to be deadly.
Instead, as Christina mentioned, we need to make the public aware of the dangers, and end the demand for these hazardous synthetic drugs. Then, we can hope to curtail some of the market for this synthetic marijuana, this 'pot'pourri if you will. Excellent article!
Regards,
Travis Parsons
First off, I am so sorry for your loss. It is so unfortunate that people are even able to get a hold of such dangerous drugs. It is also very sad to know that companies value the dollar more than human life. As mentioned above, the best thing we can do is educate and make people aware of the harmful and deadly effects of synthetics. hopefully one day, the government can stop the production of the drug all together.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your loss. It is tragic when anyone loses a life, much less as the cause of something deemed legal when there are obviously dangerous side effects. As mentioned, I think the ultimate goal is to educate people on the topic and effects of synthetic marijuana, as well as all drugs. Increased awareness might potentially prevent another death due to synthetic marijuana.
ReplyDeleteI completely enjoyed your current event and your analysis. I like how you touched up on how harmful synthetic drugs are and we really need to educate our peers on this. It's interesting to read that people try and find loopholes in order to being a drug back and made legal for public use. Overall, I like how you shared personal stories and your analysis increased my knowledge on this topic.
ReplyDelete