Can Synthetic Cannabis Kill?

Cannabis is often thought of as a relatively safe drug.

But synthetic drugs are often more potent and potentially far more dangerous than their natural counterparts.

Two men in Queensland reportedly died on January 16 this year after smoking ‘full moon tea’, which is a type of synthetic cannabis.

One of the men reportedly only had one draw before collapsing into unconsciousness, the other died after being admitting into hospital.

The men did not know each other and they smoked in different locations.

But their deaths have prompted raids on a chain of adult shops, where sizeable quantities of synthetic cannabis were seized.

In late 2014, synthetic cannabis also reportedly ended the life of a 19-year-old teenager who had just one hit of the drug.

Synthetic cannabis is made by steeping plant matter in a highly-dangerous chemical compound.

The Mackay Hospital and Sexual Health Clinic Services Executive Director said that they have seen a spike in the number of patients hospitalised due to synthetic drug use – averaging one user coming through the doors of their emergency department every day.

The symptoms of those affected include hallucinations, paranoia and twitching limbs.

It is much harder for doctors to treat patients who have become ill after taking synthetic drugs, as the chemicals are not known, meaning any adverse effects are harder to treat.

Will Temple, the Watershed Drug and Alcohol Recovery and Education Centre chief executive, says that synthetic cannabis is more like ‘ice’ than organic cannabis.

Withdrawal is also much worse than that experienced from cannabis use.

Is synthetic cannabis illegal?

Synthetic drugs are just as illegal as their more ‘natural’ counterparts, but could be many times more deadly.

Surprisingly, until about a year ago, many synthetic drugs were actually legal in NSW, and were commonly known as ‘legal highs.’

The previous law meant that a substance had to be identified and tested before it could be banned.

This meant that as soon as a drug was declared illegal, manufacturers could simply tinker with the chemical compound and create a new, completely legal substance.

One example of this is back in 2012: although there were over 200 known synthetic cannabinoid substances, only seven of these were actually prohibited.

Under the new laws, however, entire categories of substances can become illegal, which means that substances yet to be developed may already be banned.

Why are synthetic drugs popular?

36% of the 8000 psycho-stimulant users that participated in a recent study reported using synthetic drugs.

While the number of users of synthetic cannabis has halved – 7% in 2014, compared with 16% in 2013 – the use of synthetics is still of concern.

Unfortunately, many people are not aware that synthetic drugs can be even more dangerous than the drugs they mimic.

The way that synthetic drugs are packaged can also deceive users into thinking they are relatively safe.

Synthetic drugs often come in fun packets, smell good and are sold at affordable prices.

And until recent legislative and police crackdowns, the drugs were sold openly in stores, homes and online, and many were marketed as being completely safe.

But for many, the attraction to synthetic drugs has been that they are difficult to detect, allowing users to pass drug tests. However that may be changing, with some workplace tests now able to pick up synthetic cannabis.

Of course, natural cannabis remains illegal, although support for using cannabis medicinally or even recreationally has grown in recent years.

In fact, many health care professionals support the use of medicinal cannabis.

And according to the HEMP party (Help End Marijuana Prohibition) some older people are turning to both natural and synthetic cannabis in order to help with chronic pain.