Opinion

Viewpoint: The use of K2

The molecular structure of JWH-018 (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole), or K2. (Image courtesy Wikipedia)

Drugs are everywhere, it would seem.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t generally frequent the kind of social circles that binge on crack and crystal meth or drink years-old cough syrup to trip out on, but I can’t help but most often hear the ripples in daily life.

Someone hears murmuring about a weekend party, which may or may not involve under-age drinking and the use of marijuana and other forms of recreational drugs. Someone else might brag about being stoned in class.

All-in-all, it’s not that great, but I can’t say I overly condemn their actions. As long as they’re not disrupting functional society or hurting people, it’s OK. I mean, it’s not like they’re skinning puppies or putting out cigarettes on the heads of small children.

However, despite my gut-reaction to shrug off recreational drug use as a “lesser evil,” I can’t help but feel that it’s an evil none the less. Laws, despite their inconvenience sometimes, actually are there with the civic well-being in mind, at least in theory. However, other times, laws that don’t exist probably should.

I’m talking in reference to synthetic marijuana. According to livescience.com, the synthetic marijuana, known in some circles as K2 or “spice” (because K2-users must really be fans of the “Dune” franchise), “may be a mixture of herbal and spice plant products, but it is sprayed with a potent psychotropic drug and likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects.”

According to livescience.com, in smaller dose K2 can lead to drowsiness, relaxation, and blood pressure drop. However, at higher doses, one can expect hallucinations and delusions. Some of the same effects as marijuana

However, in some users between 14 to 21, elevated blood pressure and heart rates occurred. However, according to an editorial on newsweek.com, no one really knows what the compound that adds K2’s hallucinagenic kick, JWH-018, does to humans.

There are some research on what it does to mice, but none on humans. Experts agree more research must be done into the nature of JWH-018.

According to K2drugfacts.com, “Teenagers have been hospitalized, suffered severe hallucinations, increased heart rate, seizures, and even death.”

I don’t know about you all, but if something like that is going to be just readily available at your local head shop, I’d personally like it FDA-regulated at least, if nothing else.

It’s easy enough to kill yourself through recreation.

God knows we don’t need another method.