K2 Drug

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi signed an emergency rule this week that outlaws 22 new synthetic drugs. The outlawed drugs are various forms of baths salts, or synthetic marijuana, known as K2 or Spice, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

More than 11,000 people ended up in emergency rooms after using synthetic marijuana in 2010, according to a new government report. Most were teenagers and young adults, USA Today reports.

New Jersey has made its temporary ban on synthetic marijuana permanent, state Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced Monday.

Six young men—five of them teenagers--developed kidney failure after using synthetic marijuana in recent months, health officials in Oregon and Washington report.

Emergency room doctors are learning the signs of designer drug use in teens and young adults as the substances continue to grow in popularity, The Miami Herald reports.

High-potency marijuana, and the synthetic form of the drug, known as “K2” or “Spice,” can harm a developing embryo’s brain, a new study concludes.

Local and federal law enforcement officials raided businesses in almost 100 cities on Wednesday, in the first nationwide crackdown on synthetic drugs, USA Today reports.

President Obama on Monday signed legislation that bans synthetic drugs. The law also expedites the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of new drugs and medical devices.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed into law a measure that makes it illegal to sell or possess synthetic drugs, including “bath salts” and synthetic marijuana.

New York state has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana, which is sold under brand names such as “Spice,” “K2” and “Mr. Nice Guy,” the Associated Press reports.

“K2” and other synthetic drugs are still available in some gas stations and convenience stores in Missouri even after the state banned the substances, according to The Kansas City Star.

Many emergency room physicians are not familiar with symptoms caused by synthetic marijuana such as “K2” and “Spice,” which are sending a growing number of teenagers to the hospital, according to USA Today.

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week it is extending its ban on synthetic drugs such as “Spice” and “K2,” which mimic the effects of marijuana, for another six months.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been blocking Senate action on legislation to outlaw a host of synthetic drugs, which are growing in popularity and have been linked to illnesses and deaths.

Parents are a key part of the fight against the emerging threat of synthetic drugs, said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy. He spoke Thursday at a working group session on synthetic drugs, which was co-hosted by The Partnership at Drugfree.org.

Legislators in Florida have proposed making crimes related to the manufacture, delivery or sale of synthetic drugs such as “bath salts” and “K2” a third-degree felony.

Synthetic drugs such as “K2,” “Spice” and “Vanilla Sky” are part of an emerging class of abused drugs causing concern among health professionals, researchers and legislators, according to a doctor studying these drugs.

From "pharming" to pill parties, teens are abusing prescription drugs in dangerous ways, and can become addicted quickly, warns an adolescent substance abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Synthetic drugs such as “bath salts,” “K2” and “Spice” are becoming increasingly popular in Minneapolis/St. Paul, a new survey reveals.

Illinois has become the latest state to ban “bath salts,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

A bill sent to Ohio Governor John Kasich would ban both current and future synthetic drugs, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Manufacturers of synthetic marijuana have changed the chemical formulation just enough to evade a ban by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to an article in the Sun-Sentinel. The new formulation is being sold in stores and on the Internet.

Two popular synthetic drugs, K2 and bath salts, have been outlawed in North Carolina. The new law states that bath salts, which mimic the effects of cocaine, have a high risk of being abused, and have no currently accepted medical use in the U.S.

Synthetic marijuana known as Spice can cause long-lasting psychosis, according to a report at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. Doctors at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego reported that in 10 men hospitalized for psychosis caused by Spice, symptoms lasted for days or even months.

Missouri legislators approved a ban on synthetic drugs, known as bath salts, this week. The bill also expands an existing ban on another synthetic drug called K2, to include other similar substances. The measure is awaiting the governor’s signature.