6 Things To Know About K2, The Drug You Really Shouldn’t Smoke
Taking a hit of weed is one thing, smoking synthetic marijuana is quite another.
As of a few days ago, a mass overdose on the streets of New York City that sent upwards of 30 people to the hospital is highlighting the importance of understanding the dangers of a drug that seems to be on the rise all over the country. People near the Myrtle-Wyckoff station in Brooklyn got really alarmed when they started seeing people in the area known as “K2 Heaven ” falling over on the street and behaving like zombies.
And these aren’t unusual effects for K2 to have on your body and brain. Users generally experience “anxiety and agitation, nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, shaking and seizures, hallucinations and paranoia, and they may act violently,” Rolling Stone reports.
So if you ever find yourself in a situation where K2 offered to you, here are 6 things to think about before saying yes.
1. It’s Not a Real Plant
It looks like marijuana, but isn’t. K2, or Spice, as it’s known on the *streets* is made up of a chemical compound that’s sprayed on plants in order to simulate an experience something like smoking weed, but much more dangerous.
2. It’s Really Cheap
A joint of K2 goes for something like a dollar, according to the New York Times. That’s why it’s becoming more common in a lot of poor neighborhoods. Some stores even sell it, claiming that it isn’t illegal.
3. The Chemicals in K2 Are Constantly Changing
In order to bypass regulations and laws, K2 manufacturers are constantly changing the chemical makeup of their product. That way, it’s never technically illegal, and you never really know what you’re smoking.
4. Smoking It Makes You Act Really F*cking Crazy
“It’s like a scene out of a zombie movie, a horrible scene,” Brian Arthur, a witness to the overdose in Brooklyn said. He compared it to “a scene out of The Walking Dead.”
5. It’s A Big Problem in Urban Areas
In 2015, over 6,000 people went to the emergency room after smoking K2.
6. Some People Think Legalizing Marijuana Will Make A Difference
“K2 use would likely dramatically decrease if marijuana were legal and drug testing for marijuana was no longer used to penalize people,” a writer for AlterNet wrote in an article titled, “Responding to K2 With Facts Instead of Fear.” Much of the stigma surrounding K2 is also influenced by the lack of information people are given about marijuana as well.
No matter your stance on legalization, however, we can all agree that weed is certainly the lesser of these two evils. Stay off the K2, kids.
