MOCK POT LIKELY LED TO TEEN'S COLLAPSE

Sheriff asks parents to warn their children about the dangers of K2
incense

KINDE - A legal herb laced with a synthetic chemical far more powerful
than marijuana is believed to have caused a 17-year-old Port Hope teen
to collapse outside a local business Thursday night.

Huron County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Swartz was dispatched to the
Village of Kinde at 7:39 p.m. to assist Kinde Police following a call
reporting a teen collapsed and was unconscious.

"When deputy Swartz arrived he found the 17-year-old Port Hope male
and a 19-year-old man from Bad Axe had apparently been smoking the K2
incense near Main Street (in the village)," said Huron County Sheriff
Kelly J. Hanson.

The unconscious teen, whose name is not being released at this time,
was transported from the scene by the Thumb Ambulance Service to the
Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe for medical treatment.

Hanson said the K2 incense is considered to be a synthetic legalized
version of marijuana and is becoming increasingly popular with teens
and young adults.

"It even has a warning on its package, 'not for human consumption' yet
people have been smoking it to get high as if they were smoking
marijuana," he said. "It is our understanding this product, along with
similar products, have been out for over six years. Our department has
noticed an increase in incidents, which we believe is because people
are experimenting more and more with this drug."

Hanson said he encourage parents to warn their children of the
potential dangerous side effects, such as severe hallucinations and
seizures, which have been documented.

The K2 incense isn't the only synthetic marijuana product on the
market; JWH-O18 is also known to have the same side effects as K2 incense.

"Both products are available locally and legally to any person of any
age, even though debate and arguments are ongoing about the products'
intents and side effects," he said. "We believe both of them to be
very dangerous."

Both Hanson and Kinde Police Chief Randy Miller will be contacting the
Huron County Prosecutor's Office to discuss this incident further.