As if parents did not already have enough to worry about, with 43% of high school seniors reporting having used drugs at least once, now there is synthetic marijuana -- a product legally marketed as herbal incense that will reportedly get you high if you smoke it.
If your child is using the "legal bud" or the "fake weed" products, you should be concerned.
Synthetic Marijuana Gaining Popularity
Fake weed products are legal, and their use has grown since they were first introduced in 2002. They don't trigger a positive result on a urine drug test and are marketed as being "100% organic herbs," insinuating that they are natural and completely safe.
Legal, But Not Natural
The truth is, none of the products on the market are completely natural. They all have been found to contain various synthetic cannabinoids, chemicals produced in laboratories originally to help scientists study the cannabinoid system in the human brain.
These chemicals are indeed completely legal, so far, but what effect they may have on the human body is a mystery. No studies have been published testing the effects of the chemicals on users, so we know nothing about their possible side effects.
Even the online stores that promote and sell the legal weed products do so with disclaimers such as "we make no claims in regards to the effects of these products on the human body, mind or soul."
Street Names of Synthetic Marijuana
There are dozens of products today that are being sold as herbal smoking blends, legal bud, herbal smoke, marijuana alternatives, fake weed or herbal buds. Some of the brand names of the synthetic marijuana products include: Blaze, Blueberry Haze, Dank, Demon Passion Smoke, Genie, Hawaiian Hybrid, K2, Magma, Ninja, Nitro, Ono Budz, Panama Red Ball, Puff, Sativah Herbal Smoke, Skunk, Spice, Ultra Chronic and Voodoo Spice.
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