Fake pot called ‘spice’ is harder to quit than real weed, study says. What to know
Often referred to as “synthetic marijuana” or “fake weed,” a drug called “spice” is said to be more harmful compared to its naturally grown cousin, causing more severe withdrawal symptoms for those attempting to quit, which make it harder to give the substance up for good.
Spice comprises a mix of laboratory-made chemicals designed to mimic the psychedelic effects of THC in marijuana that is sprayed onto a mix of herbs. Because of its availability, prisoners and homeless people often use the drug, but it’s also popular among teens and young adults.
It’s much more potent than marijuana, which could explain why it’s more addictive and causes more severe side effects, including sleep issues, irritability, heart palpitations, low mood and cravings to consume or smoke more spice, according to the study published Friday in the journal Psychopharmacology.
Stemming from a 2015-2016 survey of nearly 182,000 people, the data included responses from 284 who reported using spice more than 10 times in the past year, had previously tried to quit using the drug and who had also used real marijuana in their lifetime.
Despite the small number of participants, the researchers from the University of Bath in England said their study is the largest to be conducted so far on spice withdrawal and the first to compare related symptoms with those of cannabis.
“Although originally produced as a legal alternative to cannabis, our findings show that spice is a far more harmful drug and people attempting to quit are likely to experience a range of severe withdrawal symptoms,” study lead author Sam Craft said in a statement. “It’s therefore important that greater effort is made to ensure that spice is not used as a substitute for cannabis, or any other drug, and people experiencing problems with spice should be supported with treatment.”
Sixty-seven percent of participants said they experienced at least three withdrawal symptoms after trying to quit using spice, including sleep problems, irritability and low mood. The effects were also quicker to emerge after spice use but were shorter lived compared to cannabis, suggesting people tend to take larger doses of spice to achieve the same mind-altering effects smaller amounts of marijuana may provide.
Spice’s effects are so intense because once smoked or consumed, the drug attaches to the same nerve cell receptors as THC, but it does so more strongly than cannabis, meaning the “health effects can be unpredictable and dangerous,” according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Because the drug has a “high potential for abuse and no medical benefit,” many of the active chemicals in it are illegal, but spice manufacturers dodge the legalities by mixing other chemicals in their products, labeling them as “incense” or “potpourri” or warning that they are “not for human consumption” on packaging.
The chemicals in spice were never actually intended for human consumption. A chemist named John Huffman created the formula for synthetic THC in the 1990s after receiving funding to study cannabinoids, compounds found in marijuana, according to the American Addiction Centers.
However, cannabis was and still is a federally controlled substance, meaning it’s difficult to get approval to use marijuana in scientific research. So, Huffman made a synthetic version that he tested in laboratory mice to get around restrictive laws. The formula resurfaced years later and has been used as an alternative to marijuana ever since.
In 2011 alone, there were more than 28,500 emergency room visits linked to synthetic marijuana use, with nearly 80% of them involving teens or young adults between 12 and 29 years old.
Spice can be smoked, drunk as an herbal tea or vaped in e-cigarettes.
