Synthetic marijuana linked to kidney damage and failure, warns new study

Synthetic marijuana linked to kidney damage and failure, warns new study

Before you light up a blunt full of synthetic marijuana, consider what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a study of synthetic cannabinoid use.

The CDC took a look at sixteen cases of acute kidney injury following exposure to synthetic marijuana, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The patients ranged in age from 15 to 33 years and none reported a history of kidney disease.

All 16 patients first visited emergency departments and subsequently were hospitalized for further treatment, according to the report. The patients were young, previously healthy males who admitted to smoking either a blueberry-flavored synthetic cannabinoid product or an unspecified synthetic cannabinoid product.

Synthetic marijuana is sold under many names, including K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks and several others, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. All of these products contain dried, shredded planet material and chemical additives that give the drug its mind-altering effects.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse adds that synthetic marijuana is popular among young people. The misperception that synthetic marijuana products are “natural” and therefore safe have probably contributed to their popularity among high school students. K2 is also difficult to detect in standard drug tests.

“Synthetic cannabinoids are not safe alternatives to marijuana,” Michael Schwartz, a co-author of the CDC report, told USA Today. “There are unexpected and unpredictable health problems that can occur.”

The National Institute of Drug Abuse also notes that synthetic marijuana has been relatively easy to purchase in head shops, gas stations and online.

“The availability of the synthetic cannabinoid products, coupled with how rapidly the chemicals present in the various products change, really creates a recipe for a public health disaster,” added Schwartz, a medical officer in the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

The Washington Post reports that Maryland lawmakers are getting tough on synthetic marijuana, making the manufacture, possession or distribution of the drug illegal throughout the Old Line State. In 2012, President Barack Obama banned synthetic marijuana and similar drugs, according to the Post.

The new federal law placed 26 substances in the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances. However, drug manufactures will make minor changes to their products to develop substances not located on the list.

The CDC notes that law enforcement officials, public health officials, clinicians, scientists and the public should be aware of the dangers of synthetic cannabinoid use.

Will the CDC’s report on synthetic marijuana convince lawmakers to add additional varieties of synthetic marijuana to the federal list of Schedule 1 controlled substances? If some states have already made the move toward legalizing recreational marijuana use (Colorado and Washington State), what should be done about synthetic marijuana? Share your thoughts in the comments section.