K2 – Synthetic Marijuana
On March 1, 2011 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration banned 5 synthetic compounds making it illegal to distribute or possess them. Synthetic marijuana is a herbal smoke blend marketed under a variety of brand names; K2, K3, Spice, Genie, Smoke, Pot-pourri, Pulse, Ocean Blue, Stinger, Serenity, Hush, and many more.
K2 Physical Effects
There is a growing number of synthetic marijuana alternatives that are creating a disastrous affect not only in the workplace, but among our youth, as well.
When smoked, the chemical-based material mimics the negative results of THC, but can be be up to 100 times the potency level. Physical consequences can be tingling skin, appetite stimulation, lightheadedness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, and frightening effects to the cardiovascular system, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Reports indicate the “high” can have psychoactive and somatic effects including euphoria, increased alertness, restlessness, sudden mood changes liking to humor, sadness, and other emotions, severe paranoia, and reddening of the eyes, or even severe life-threatening hallucinations.
K2 Testing in the Workplace
K2 testing is a specialized urinalysis capability within only a few drug testing laboratories in the U.S. MedDirect’s K2 testing is conducted through our SAMSHA certified laboratory with accurate defensible results.
K2 Rapid Screening Now Available! Click here
Bath Salts
Is this what we put in our bathtubs, like Epsom salts? No. But by marketing them as bath salts and labeling them ‘not for human consumption,’ clandestine retailers have been able to avoid prosecution. The results have been horrendous!
Characteristic Effects
Banned in a number of states, bath salts contain amphetamine-like chemicals which have distinctively hazardous effects around the brain. “If you are taking the worst characteristics of meth, coke, PCP, LSD and Ecstasy and set them together, that’s what we’re seeing sometimes,” Mark Ryan, director from the Louisiana Poison Center. Bath Salts, that have been known as the brand new LSD, cause people “to go completely insane and be very violent,” stated Armando Aguilar, president from the Miami Fraternal Order of Police told CNN.
Reports from emergency departments note that “bath salt” use can lead to sympathetic nervous system effects such as tachycardia (fast heart rate), hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), seizures (convulsions). Death has been reported. Altered mental status may present as severe panic attacks, agitation, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, and violent behavior, including self-mutilation, suicide attempts and homicidal activity.
Some Brand Names
Bath Salts have a multitude of brand names and street names like: Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky, Bliss, Dynamite, Purple Rain, Bliss, Blizzard, Charge+, Purple Wave, Mad Cow, Cloud 9, M1, Ocean Burst, Pure Ivory, Snow Leopard, Stardust, White Lightening, White Knight, and White Dove.
The need to expand your drug testing to include K2 and Bath Salts is more vital than ever!
Call today for more details and to discuss a program that works best for you!