In light of
our recent class discussion surrounding drug policy, I thought it would be
interesting to discuss an article I read recently about synthetic marijuana.
Synthetic marijuana is a term used for a variety of different chemicals – all
legal – that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The
rise of synthetic THC is a cause for serious concern, especially among young
people. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of emergency room visits related to
synthetic marijuana nearly tripled. While these substances are said to work in
terms of producing an effect similar to that of real marijuana, they are
composed of a mix of very potent and usually toxic chemicals. Moreover, with
the ease and legality of obtaining “fake weed,” people are going to continue
trying it – exposing themselves to the nasty chemicals within and risking a
trip to the ER, or worse.
This
discussion topic clearly leads us to the question regarding the legality of
marijuana. I won’t delve too deeply into this conversation, but I think it is
very clear that the current prohibition of marijuana is pushing people to try a
much more dangerous substance. While there are negative health effects involved
with smoking marijuana (the extent of which are still debated), it is
undeniable that the drug has been very heavily researched. Synthetic marijuana,
on the other hand, is an unregulated, experimental compound with unknown and
unpredictable side effects. There is simply no way of knowing what you’re putting
in your body when you use it. In 2013, it was reported that 8% of 12th
graders had tried synthetic marijuana in the last year. While this number may
not seem large, there are a couple of important things to consider. First, all
it takes us one bad reaction to the toxic chemicals in these compounds to have
very serious consequences. Second, this number is expected to grow. Without
asserting an opinion on the legality of marijuana, I think policymakers and
economists need to take a much closer look at current drug laws and assess
their true costs.
- Zach Dubrof
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