The Struggle of Synthetic Marijuana

                                               The Struggle of Synthetic Marijuana
    
     Synthetic Marijuana is a new drug that is destroying America’s inner cities in a negative way. It can also be known as K-2 or spice, and is sold in inner city bodegas all over the United States for as low as five dollars. Individuals purchase the drug as a substitute for marijuana. Synthetic marijuana doesn’t have the same chemicals as marijuana, the K-2 potency is one hundred times stronger than marijuana THC. That’s the reason why it is ruining the lives of many individuals, Synthetic marijuana contains over one hundred different chemicals that are sprayed on dried shredded plant material. When inhaled it can cause immediate and severe mental effects. Police try to get the product off the streets but it isn’t an easy process, store owners usually would change the labeling and give it a different name. The drug has made its way out to the streets so it is being sold by regular individuals trying to make a quick buck .Haglage, Perez, Prokupecz and Bruer argue the Synthetic Marijuana is causing harmful effects to its user’s lives.
      In Haglage article titled “Synthetic Weed is F-ing Up New York”, she expressed how synthetics has caused psychotic breaks, suicide, and murder. She also explained how the drug attraction is rising in teens and homeless people. Haglage demonstrates certain incidents the occurred while individuals were on synthetic Marijuana. Lastly she talks about what is being done to stop this epidemic and will it ever be recovered. Haglage illustrates an incident that occurred when a homeless man was naked on all fours howling at a car, she provided video proof from the New York City Police Department. When Haglage described the side effects of synthetics there was no clear source to back her information up, this makes her statement an opinion, and everyone reacts to the drug in a different way. Haglage describes an incident involving a 19 year old in California who died after one hit of synthetic marijuana and a 23 year old lady who jumped off a pier and drowned in NYC after smoking synthetics. These situations can give readers a sense of emotion because they can draw a connection with the victim, whether its age, they may know someone who went through a similar situation, or knowing that there’s a possibility of that happening to them if they use the drug. Haglage later explains the actions of Conner Reid Eckhardt the 19 year who died off of one hit of synthetics, parents who presented a social media campaign with pictures of their son unconscious in a hospital bed. This makes Eckhardt a credible source to other individuals cause by seeing what happened to him can change a person’s thoughts on trying the drug.
      In Perez, Prokupecz and Bruer’s article titled “Summer Surge of Synthetic Marijuana Causes Overdoses, Crime”, they explain the effects synthetic marijuana has had on the streets throughout America. They explain where synthetic marijuana comes from which is China factories and imported to the United States. Also what actions are being used to fix the issue? Perez Prokupecz and Bruer stated “The New York Police Department added that there are more than 100 overdose cases a month at New York's major trauma center, Bellevue Hospital” (Perez, Prokupecz, and Bruer). The authors source is fact coming from the police department, also when stating “Most of the synthetic marijuana comes from factories in China and is imported to the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Administration said” (Perez, Prokupecz, and Bruer), If this drug is coming from China factories the U.S. need to be more aggressive with china so they can stop destroying our people. The statement made is evidence coming from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The authors explain an incident involving a man suffering from effects of synthetic marijuana, he carried out a fatal stabbing on a subway cart full of riders. This situation makes readers feel sorry for the victims hurt in that situation, they may have experienced a similar situation. This incident does not make the man doing the stabbing credible, just because he did those actions on synthetics doesn’t mean it will happen everyone, people go through different effects.
     The connection that both articles share is the amount of statistics shown. Both articles have statement made by departments and administrations that illustrate accrete numbers and dates. For example Haglage stated “This May through July, a hospital in Austin, Texas, received more than 439 calls to report exposure to K2” (Haglage). If over 400 calls were being made in a two month span because of K-2 that shows that this drug is taking over the streets. Perez, Prokupecz and Bruer stated “And the city's EMS Department reports transporting 439 people suffering from suspected synthetic marijuana overdoses in June alone”(Perez, Prokupecz, and Bruer). These statics inform us that this is becoming an epidemic across the America.
     Walton’s article Titled “Why Synthetic Marijuana is More Toxic to the Brain than Pot”, Walton explained the history of synthetic marijuana, its aliases and where it originated from. After Walton explains the difference between regular marijuana and synthetic marijuana, she mentions how synthetic marijuana can cause seizures by how it acts on the brain. Synthetic Marijuana can activate a receptor in an individual’s brain cell with maximum efficacy, as regular marijuana does it practically. Walton states “Researchers are starting to understand more about the drugs, and finding that synthetic cannabis is not even close to being the same drug as pot” (Walton). This makes her earlier statement true because her evidence comes from researchers. Walton later goes on to add her on suggestions on the synthetic Industry and if it will end if marijuana is legalized. Walton mentions Lewis Nelson MD at NYU Department of Emergency Medicine, saying “As mention, it takes so long for the FDA to catch up – a year or more – that by the time one drug is made illegal, dozens of other iterations of the synthetic are already formulated and poisoned for release into the market”(Walton). This scares readers knowing this drug, and others like it will never stop being created and sold to individuals in America. The evidence stated is also a credible source coming from Lewis Nelson MD.
     A connection that Haglage and Walton share in their articles are both have professionals in the medical field explain how serious this drug is to an individual’s body. Haglage’s article mentioned Dr. Lewis Nelson od NYU’s Department of Emergency who said “With people using synthetics they look like people who are using amphetamines, they’re angry, sweaty, and agitated”(Haglage). In Walton’s article she used Yasmine Hurd PHD professor of psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Yasmine Hurd explained how synthetics can damage the CB1 receptors in the brain. She states “The Cardiac, respiratory and gastrointestinal effect come from the CB1 receptor in the brain cell. It might be any of these that produced the greatest risk of death” (Walton).