Spice is a nickname for a substance containing one or more synthetic cannabinoids. Risks of taking Spice Synthetic cannabinoids are often much stronger and many people describe quite different effects to natural cannabis. Due to their potency, many people experience unpleasant and unpredictable side effects such as: inability to move breathing difficulties heart palpitations seizures extreme anxiety Using with other alcohol and other drugs, including prescribed medicines, increases the risks of unwanted and harmful effects.
Withdrawal effects People who use synthetic cannabinoids regularly over a long time commonly have withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms reported include: headaches anxiety low mood difficulty concentrating irritability restlessness cravings Inhaling any substance into your lungs is going to cause some level of irritation to the delicate tissue.
Reducing the risks Reducing the risk from synthetic cannabinoids begins with basic hygiene and cleanliness. If you decide to use synthetic cannabinoids Start low and go slow. Avoid mixing with alcohol and other drugs including prescribed medication as this may increase the risk of heart problems Mental wellbeing As synthetic cannabinoids may exacerbate anxiety and paranoia, only use in an environment in which you feel safe and with people you trust.
Avoid using if prone to anxiety or have existing mental health problems. Smoking synthetic cannabinoids If smoking synthetic cannabinoids avoid smoking neat. Source: Public Health Scotland - Opens in new browser window. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? These products are also known as herbal or liquid incense.
These chemicals are called cannabinoids because they are similar to chemicals found in the marijuana plant. Because of this similarity, synthetic cannabinoids are sometimes misleadingly called synthetic marijuana or fake weed , and they are often marketed as safe, legal alternatives to that drug. In fact, they are not safe and may affect the brain much more powerfully than marijuana; their actual effects can be unpredictable and, in some cases, more dangerous or even life-threatening.
Synthetic cannabinoids are part of a group of drugs called new psychoactive substances NPS. NPS are unregulated mind-altering substances that have become newly available on the market and are intended to produce the same effects as illegal drugs.
Some of these substances may have been around for years but have reentered the market in altered chemical forms, or due to renewed popularity. Synthetic cannabinoid products are often labeled "not for human consumption.
However, the only parts of these products that are natural are the dried plant materials. Chemical tests show that the active, mind-altering ingredients are cannabinoid compounds made in laboratories. Manufacturers sell these products in colorful foil packages and plastic bottles to attract consumers.
They market these products under a wide variety of specific brand names. For several years, synthetic cannabinoid mixtures have been easy to buy in drug paraphernalia shops, novelty stores, gas stations, and over the internet. Because the chemicals used in them have no medical benefit and a high potential for abuse, authorities have made it illegal to sell, buy, or possess some of these chemicals.
However, manufacturers try to sidestep these laws by changing the chemical formulas in their mixtures. Easy access and the belief that synthetic cannabinoid products are natural and therefore harmless, have likely contributed to their use among young people. Spice is most often labeled "not for human consumption" and disguised as incense.
In fact, the actual effects of spice can be unpredictable and, in some cases, severe or cause death. Most people smoke Spice by rolling it in papers like with marijuana or handmade tobacco cigarettes ; sometimes, it is mixed with marijuana.
Some people also make it as an herbal tea for drinking. Others buy Spice products as liquids to use in e-cigarettes. Spice has only been around a few years, and research is only just beginning to measure how it affects the brain. What is known is that the chemicals found in Spice attach to the same nerve cell receptors as THC, the main mind-altering ingredient in marijuana.
Some of the chemicals in Spice, however, attach to those receptors more strongly than THC, which could lead to much stronger effects. The resulting health effects can be unpredictable and dangerous. Additionally, there are many chemicals that remain unidentified in products sold as Spice and it is therefore not clear how they may affect the user.
It is important to remember that chemicals are often being changed as the makers of Spice often alter them to avoid drug laws, which have to target certain chemicals.
Learn more about how the brain works and what happens when a person uses drugs. View more on NIDA. Spice use has been linked to a rising number of emergency department visits and to some deaths. Learn more about drug overdoses in youth.
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