Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President of the United States – 2011
A fact sheet on the growing threat of synthetic marijuana products, such as Spice and K2. Notes that these products are primarily plant-based materials laced with synthetic cannabinoids, and are sold in legal retail outlets as herbal incense. Reports that synthetic marijuana is a growing youth drug threat in the U.S. and Europe. Notes increasing numbers of synthetic marijuana-related calls to poison control centers, and describes physical and mental adverse reactions to synthetic cannabinoid use. Law enforcement sources report that the drugs enter the U.S. from abroad, and are also manufactured in labs (often in residential settings) in the U.S. They are also easily obtained via the Internet. In 2011, the U.S. categorized certain synthetic cannabinoids as controlled substances, and the Synthetic Drug Control Act was approved. Many states have also taken action to control these drugs.
