Using cannabis today has never been easier. That is, you live in a state that has legalized both medical and recreational weed. It’s hard to walk down a street in some of these communities and not smell pot smoke. Some folks even choose to pick up their weed at their favorite dispensary and smoke it while driving back home, which can lead to dangerous consequences.
But if you’re the type to smoke in the safety of your own home, you might prefer to have your stash delivered right to your front doors. For instance, one weed delivery service near Sacramento, California, offers weed and cannabis delivery throughout state’s northern region, giving them a competitive edge over similar businesses located in their area.
But having your weed delivered means ordering it by phone or online. This alone can present certain dangers if you’re not careful. For example, the weed that comes to your door might not be as natural as you think. It could be made up of synthetics.
According to a new report, cannabis products that go by the name of K2, Spice, Bliss, Bombay Blue, and more, are not the names of fancy cocktails. They are instead the names for synthetic cannabis, weed, or marijuana. While these products can be purchased online and are labeled as “safe alternatives to natural marijuana,” the experts say they are anything but.
Just how dangerous can synthetic marijuana be? Addiction specialists and psychiatrists offer up some pertinent answers.
Defining Synthetic Weed
First, it’s important to understand that your body already contains cannabis-like molecules called “endocannabinoids” that appropriately work with the “endocannabinoid system” or ECS. This is considered an essential brain system since it helps with memory, pain, appetite, inflammation, and more.
You brain also contains two primary endocannabinoid receptors known as cannabinoid receptor one or CB1 and cannabinoid receptor two or CB2. When drugs or toxins bind to these receptors they can significantly alter how your cells function.
Natural weed contains tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. When it’s smoked/ingested the THC attaches to CB1 receptors and it can overwhelm the ECS. This is the reason people can experience differing side affects from pot smoking.
While regular weed can calm some people down it can also be dangerous in that for other people it can cause anxiety, paranoia, and even psychosis. Like natural weed, synthetic marijuana binds to CB1 receptors. However, it is said to be more dangerous since it’s more potent than natural weed.
A synthetic weed is engineered from random grasses and plants that are then sprayed with manmade chemicals which can then be smoked or vaped and even prepared as a tea. Since no one really knows what types of chemicals that are intended to mimic THC, the products are considered risky at best, and dangerous at worse.
Chemists are said to be engineering new blends every month and at present, there are hundreds of varieties of synthetic weeds available on the open market.
Who is Using Synthetic Weed?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the CDC claims that synthetic cannabinoid users are usually person in their 20s and 30s. Men are more likely than women to partake in these drugs.
Synthetic weed users also tend to smoke natural marijuana. But the appeal of synthetic weed is that it’s not only relatively inexpensive, it can be undetectable during a drug screening.
How Synthetic Weed Affects the Brain
Again, THC that comes from natural marijuana works by binding itself to receptors inside your body. This process can overwhelm the ECS and as a result cause a number of side effects.
Synthetic marijuana will form an even stronger bind and while all the side effects have not yet been discovered, one thing is for certain, they can be much more threatening.
Synthetic Weed Addiction
Is it possible to become addicted to synthetic weed? The experts claim some people definitely become addicted to the product. Over time, they can develop withdrawals from the weed. Cravings come with the withdrawal symptoms
Doctors are said to look for “the four Cs-cravings, negative consequences, compulsive behavior, and a lack of control.” All four of these signs have been recognized in people who are addicted to synthetic varieties of weed.
Medical issues that can be directly associated with synthetic weed are acute kidney failure, heart attacks, seizures, psychosis, stroke, violent behavior, suicidal tendencies, and more. It can even lead directly to death.
