On Wednesday, a source divulged that Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana, which led to his admittance to Norwood Hospital.Synthetic marijuana — also known as K2, spice, crazy monkey, and Scooby snacks — is a designer drug.It does not actually contain marijuana, but is made of plants sprayed with various psychoactive chemicals, according to Boston police and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The drug is most commonly smoked — in fact, more than 80 percent of people smoke it, according to a 2015 CDC study.The drug can also be sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.In Massachusetts, synthetic marijuana is not legal, though it took some legislative maneuvering to make it illegal across the board.Sign up for more newsletters here President Obama signed a bill banning some types of synthetic drugs in 2012, and all 50 states have enacted similar bans.However, the bans usually encompass only certain compounds, which means new, legal compounds that achieve similar results could be formed fairly easily.

State Senator Michael Moore, a Millbury Democrat, said he helped introduce a measure in Massachusetts that was passed in 2014 to combat that.“The federal government had it listed as a controlled substance, but it wasn’t listed in the state,” Moore said.“We had to add it to the state’s controlled substance list, and we had to analog it.” Enacting those measures means the chemical components can be changed slightly and the substance is still classified as illegal, “as long as the purpose and basic components stay the same,” Moore said.In recent years, synthetic marijuana has been fairly easy to get.It is often marketed as incense or potpourri and sold at gas stations, smoke shops, and mom-and-pop stores, as well as over the Internet.Some packages are even labeled “Not for human consumption.” “There may be stores out there still selling it,” Moore acknowledged.“Synthetic marijuana wasn’t being sold by drug dealers on street corners.You could go into convenience stores and gas stations.”Prior to the statute being passed, only federal agents could enforce the law, he said.

But now, local and state police can enforce it, and offenders could receive a fine or jail time.This past August, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh also signed an ordinance banning the drugs in the city, allowing sellers and buyers to be fined $300.The effects of synthetic marijuana vary, but a typical “high” consists of elevated mood, relaxation, altered perception, and symptoms of psychosis, delusions, or disordered thinking, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.It can also cause extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia, and hallucinations.Researchers also say some types of synthetic cannabis bind more strongly than marijuana to the cell receptors affected by THC, and may produce much stronger effects.According to the state, teens and young adults in particular have showed up to area hospitals while on the drug.Symptoms can include impaired perception, racing heart, vomiting, reduced motor control, disorientation, extreme paranoia, violent behavior, and psychosis.The long-term physical and psychological effects of using these drugs are not yet known.

Dr. Christopher Rosenbaum, director of toxicology at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, previously told the Globe that people who have smoked spice products have suffered from agitation, nausea, and vomiting.There have been some reports of seizures.“People are smoking substances without knowing what’s in them,” said Rosenbaum, who has studied synthetic pot.e cigarette piscop“I would argue these products are more dangerous than the [marijuana] they are intended to replace.”Synthetic marijuana can also be addictive.e cigarette plougastelRegular users trying to quit may go through withdrawal, with side effects like headaches, anxiety, depressing, and irritability.e cigarette segamat

Synthetic marijuana is the term commonly used for a group of illicit or illegal products that contain a manmade chemical called a synthetic cannabinoid.All chemicals in this category get their name because they mimic the effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active ingredient in cannabis or marijuana.e cigarette waco txSince 2009, the use of synthetic marijuana has spread across the U.S.e cigarette sleepUnfortunately, people who consume this addictive drug knowingly or unknowingly expose themselves to a range of serious, severe or even fatal mental and physical health complications.e cigarette tamworthLet’s take a closer look at this growing problem.Synthetic cannabinoids were created in laboratories by legitimate researchers studying the impact of THC on the human brain.

However, their use quickly spread beyond these controlled settings and entered the world of illicit and illegal substances.There are now dozens of synthetic cannabinoids added to hundreds of plant-based products that go by names such as K2, Spice (the two most well-known varieties), Kronic, Kush and Joker.To avoid action from federal and state drug enforcement agencies, manufacturers commonly market these products as incense or potpourri.With the rise of e-cigarettes, some manufacturers have also started selling synthetic cannabinoids in liquid form.While they mimic the basic effects of THC, synthetic cannabinoids are much stronger.In fact, any given chemical in this group is at least twice as potent as THC, and some chemicals exceed the potency of THC by 10 times or more.This means that anyone who uses synthetic marijuana receives a significantly larger dose of active ingredients than a person who uses actual marijuana.To make things even worse, products that contain synthetic cannabinoids are not monitored or regulated in any way.

This means that people who use these products have no idea which specific cannabinoid they’re consuming.They also have no idea about the overall potency of a product or how much cannabinoid it contains per dose.For all of these reasons, each incidence of synthetic marijuana use resembles the drug equivalent of Russian roulette.Because they access the same part of the brain as THC, synthetic cannabinoids produce some of the same basic effects as marijuana or other forms of cannabis.However, because these manmade chemicals are stronger than THC, they produce more intense forms of these brain changes.This fact helps explain the growing popularity of synthetic marijuana, since some of the intensified effects are viewed as desirable (e.g., a relaxed feeling and mood elevation).Unfortunately, it also explains why synthetic marijuana poses such a danger.Psychosis, Suicidal Thinking and Aggression — While marijuana has a reputation as a relatively harmless drug, researchers and doctors have long known that a certain percentage of heavy users will develop a highly damaging mental state known as psychosis.

Common symptoms of this state include powerful hallucinations, delusional and/or paranoid thinking, an inability to form clear thoughts, mental agitation and severe anxiety.Since synthetic cannabinoids are stronger than THC, synthetic marijuana users have an even greater chance of developing psychosis than marijuana/cannabis users.Synthetic marijuana users also have increased risks for involvement in suicidal thinking and/or acts of aggression toward other people.Changes in Physical Health — Synthetic marijuana can also trigger mild, moderate or severe changes in your physical health.Again, the underlying source of risk is the sometimes extreme potency of synthetic cannabinoids.Potential problems include nausea, vomiting, a drastically increased heart rate, spikes in blood pressure, muscle tremors or spasms, full-body seizures and cardiac arrest (complete stoppage of the heart).In a very plausible worst-case scenario, a person under the influence of synthetic marijuana may stop breathing and die.

Any of these issues can occur even at very low dosages.Since 2009, poison control centers across the country have received thousands of calls from people reporting users in states of serious physical distress.Addiction — Addiction is a very real risk for habitual and/or heavy users of marijuana and other types of cannabis.Since synthetic cannabinoids act on the brain in the same way as THC, the same risk appears in people who use synthetic marijuana.Anyone who regularly uses this drug in plant or liquid form can develop the classic symptoms of addiction, including the onset of withdrawal when consumption falls off abruptly or comes to a complete halt.Indications of withdrawal in a synthetic marijuana user include a depressed or anxious state of mind, an unusually irritable state of mind and headaches.National Institute on Drug Abuse: DrugFacts – Synthetic Cannabinoids https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/synthetic-cannabinoids /alerts/synthetic-cannabinoids/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Acute Poisonings from Synthetic Cannabinoids – 50 U.S.