OFFICIALS PUSH FOR FAKE-WEED BAN

Though Legal, Synthietic Marijuana's Easy Availability To Minors
Carries Serious Risks

Patrick Sibley readily admits he sold synthetic marijuana in a
psychedelic novelty shop.

The interior is draped with East Asian tapestries and posters of
1960s rock icons. Among the miniature Buddhas and African art pieces
are the products he peddled: K2, Hush and Swerve - herbal mixtures
treated with chemical sprays that experts say can be twice as
powerful as marijuana.

"Sometimes it gives you a benign high, sometimes it's out of
control," said Sibley, 22, who says he had to test the products the
Dallas store carried.

The synthetic marijuana is legal in most parts of Texas and the
United States. But alarmed by its growing use and easy availability,
states and local governments are now scrambling to take "fake weed"
off the streets.

"We're drafting a bill as we speak," said State Sen. Florence
Shapiro, R-Plano. "From Allen to Richardson and Mansfield, they're
all saying that K2 has become a very dangerous problem."

Authorities say the fake weed appears easily accessible to teenagers.
It can be bought in head shops and at gas stations - and also from
anyone who can buy the chemical that is sprayed onto herbs to make the product.

Seven head shops in the Dallas area declined to comment on their sale
of K2. None would talk about how old - or young - their buyers are,
although many shops claim to sell only to adults.

According to the Texas Poison Center Network, 31 percent of calls
they received about synthetic marijuana were from people under 20.

Real concerns

Known on the streets as "spice," "genie" or "zohai," K2 is a mix of
herbs and flowers sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids. Depending on
the potency, it can sell for $30 to $50 for 3 grams.

Sibley, who was fired from his job in February, said that in the shop
where he worked, 8 percent of the store's sales were K2 and similar
products in early 2009, rising to 26 percent of sales by the end of
the year. The owner of another shop said fake weed sales are 15 to 20
percent of his business.

The chemical compound in the spray is similar to THC, the natural
active ingredient in marijuana. But it is untraceable in drug tests.

Usually sold as incense labeled "not for human consumption," those
looking for a high have found that smoking it is just as effective as
the real thing.

"People at stores are telling customers what to combine to feel the
most intense trip ever," Sibley said. "They compare it to illegal drugs."

Texas Poison Center Network reported 71 calls statewide from Jan. 1
to June 8 involving exposure to fake pot. Twenty-nine calls resulted
in moderate to major medical issues.

"I heard from a parent about a child who was on K2," Shapiro said.
"The child thought he was the devil and the kids were going to do an
exorcism on him. It causes hallucinations and elevated heart rate, a
whole slew of effects."

The compounds found in K2 and other synthetic marijuana were invented
by chemist John W. Huffman in 1995 as alternatives to marijuana's
THC. "I had this passing thought, 'Gee, these are pretty easy to
make,' " Huffman said. "Someone might be able to replicate it."

The products hit the market around 2008 and 2009, said its creator.
"Apparently it was sold as plant hormone at first, and I guess
someone put two and two together," said Huffman.

Pharmacologist and physiologist Allyn Howlett said Huffman's
compounds are useful because the compounds target cell receptors in
specific areas of the body, as opposed to marijuana's THC, which
nondiscriminately treats pain.

The chemicals are studied to learn how cells communicate with each
other as scientists research better ways to treat pain, said Howlett,
president of the International Cannabinoid Research Society.

They're also used to treat glaucoma and nausea.

Howlett said the literature on Huffman's findings is easily
accessible, allowing its misuse. "They can mimic the steps," she
said. "That can be dangerous because they take shortcuts."

Huffman added that his compounds have only been tested on mice, and
long-term effects have never been studied.

"I've heard all kinds of scary things from people who have used it,"
Huffman said. "But really, they don't know what they really use. They
have all kinds of stuff in there, some herbs and oily stuff but it's
really like playing Russian roulette when you smoke it."

Shapiro said that was the problem with drafting the bill. She hopes
to write the legislation so that it includes all possible forms of
synthetic marijuana.

Taking action

Local municipalities aren't waiting. Mansfield led the way,
restricting the sale of synthetic marijuana to those over 21 last
week. Sgt. Jon Felty of the Allen Police Department said the issue
goes before the city council on July 13.

Felty said K2 is not widespread in Allen, but the department has had
calls regarding sideeffects such as hallucinations or irregular heartbeats.

Until it's banned, sales will continue. A spokesman for Retro
Revolution, a novelty shop that carries K2, said that as long as
there is a demand for the product, the store will continue to sell it.

"It's a legal product," he said. "If it becomes illegal, we'll take
it off our shelves."

Even then, it could thrive.

"Teenagers are risk-takers," Howlett said. "They'll go out and try
things, so banning them from buying it won't necessarily stop them.
If they're not buying this, they'll find something else."

A Dallas college student who asked that his name not be published
said he used to smoke marijuana regularly, and thought he was doing
his peers a favor by selling them legal synthetic pot, made from
ingredients he bought online.

"I thought I was keeping these people who were on probation for drugs
out of jail," he said. "I did research and made sure I wasn't hurting anyone."

"I don't sell it anymore," he said. "I got to an ethical boundary and
just got tired of getting kids high."

Shapiro, whose bill is likely to be presented to the Legislature in
January, said she doesn't know whether banning synthetic marijuana
will keep teens from buying or using it.

"They're going to do what they're going to do," she said. "It'll be
on the list of illegal drugs. They'll have to make a decision as to
whether they'd like to follow the law."