Don't 'Spice' Up Your Life: The Zombie Drug

The zombie drug aka spice is gaining popularity. Spice has replaced heroin, crack and even alcohol as the drug of choice. The people taking this drug act like a zombie and hence the name zombie drug.

What is spice?

The truth is, it’s complicated. Spice is not just a single drug, but a wide range of laboratory-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of the well-known psychoactive compound in marijuana called THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol.
THC in marijuana works by latching onto cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The chemicals in spice do the same thing, but can be over 100 times more potent and produce wildly different effects compared to actual weed.
Synthetic marijuana is sold under a variety of names other than "Spice," including:

• K2.
• Skunk.
• Moon rocks.
• Potpourri
• Fake Weed

What makes it dangerous?

• Precisely how you feel after smoking spice will likely depend on the specific combination of chemicals used and, more worryingly perhaps, the concentration of the substance on the herbs. Unlike natural cannabis, the stuff that gets you high is sprayed onto the plant matter, which leaves the possibility that negligent producers could create highly concentrated “hotspots” within a single bag.
• Spice can be purchased legally in many places, and because it is often advertised as a "natural" marijuana alternative, but there is nothing natural about it. Being easily obtainable, and with a public perception as an innocuous natural high-Spice and K2 carry much appeal to teens and younger adults.
• Spice is very much cheap compared to weed and it says you can stay for a week on Spice for 15£.
• It’s difficult to detect its presence as it comes mixed with hard to suspect products like tea leaves and even in the form of incense.
• To make things more complicated, the combinations of chemicals in spice are changing all the time, leading to slightly different effects and levels of potency between each separate batch. There are potentially hundreds or even thousands of variations being pushed out of dodgy labs in Russia and China.

No matter what the combination is, though, the powdery substance formed is carted off to Europe and North America and sprayed onto plant matter like sage, damiana or even tea leaves. After that, the “spice” is placed into eye-catching packaging and sold by small-time dealers and certain “herbal” shops. Spice has been illegal in the U.S. since 2013, and in the U.K. since May, 2016.

History of spice

In the mid-’90s, an American chemist named John Huffman and his colleagues at Clemson University were studying the impact of cannabis on the human brain. The work involved creating synthetic compounds that acted in a similar way, which led to the synthesis of a compound called JWH-018.

While most of the product that reaches the streets today doesn’t include JWH-018 — rather, it contains developments of it, which are often untested and unreliable.

Huffman, now 84, said in an interview

“I was experimenting for good,” “Could I have known? No. Marijuana has been around for hundreds of years, its effects are well known and you cannot kill yourself with it, [but] you can kill yourself with the synthetics.”

How spice feels like

“It’s like a scene out of a zombie movie, a horrible scene,” said Brian Arthur, 38, who began live-streaming on his way to work in Brooklyn, New York after seeing three people collapse. “This drug truly paralyzes people.”

Wherever you find spice, you’ll find witnesses say the same thing. Users appear to be on another planet, and that’s pretty much how they themselves describe it, too. Matthew Nuttall, an ex-spice addict from Manchester, told Britain’s Metro newspaper:

“You just feel braindead half the time. They say people look like zombies, and that’s how it feels. The first time, I can’t even explain what it was like. It just blew my head off. I thought ‘never again.’ It’s just such a heavy high. It’s so intense,” he continued. “’The first high lasted about one hour, but it really felt a lot longer. It’s like you’re there but you can’t communicate. You’re alive in there, but you can’t see it on the outside. You just feel braindead.”

Low to moderate usage appears to produce feelings of warmth, happiness and relaxation, as well as occasional confusion, paranoia and anxiety.

However, the effects are said to be much stronger than herbal cannabis and pose much greater risks. While many of us will have had that slightly disturbing increased heart rate after smoking a joint a bit too fast, there are signs that it could be even more extreme when using synthetic cannabis. There are numerous reports of people having heart attacks and strokes – and even dying – after taking the drug. Cases have also been reported of kidney and liver damage and severe psychosis.

Why Are People Smoking It?

The main reasons people smoke spice are that it’s very potent and cheap. Naturally, that makes it appealing to vulnerable sections of society, like the homeless.

“You can go get a fiver, buy half a gram and it’ll knock you out for a few hours”

Spice can make hours seem like minutes, days seem like hours, and months seem like days. When you combine that with feelings of happiness and complete mental blackouts for hours on end, you can totally understand why somebody in tough circumstances may see appeal in such a drug. That’s why it’s important to look beyond the dehumanizing “zombie” accusations you’ll see in the press and try to understand people’s motivations for using spice.

What does spice do to your body?

A Spice user is much more likely to experience serious adverse effects than a person smoking natural cannabis. Many chemicals used in spice and other drugs are as-yet unidentifiable, and as such research has not yet made clear exactly how the brain is effected. Because the make-up of spice is constantly varying, its effects can greatly differ. You are literally turning yourself into lab rat.

Short-Term Effects of Spice

Synthetic marijuana is often sought for the following effects, which mimic those of natural marijuana:

• Euphoric feelings.
• Altered perception.
• Feelings of relaxation.

These desirable feelings, however, are often countered by dangerous side effects, which vary by the specific chemical compounds present in the drug (which is unregulated, and frequently changing) and may include

• Increased heart rate.
• Hypertension.
• Myocardial ischemia.
• Vomiting.
• Hallucinations.
• Paranoia.
• Severe anxiety.
• Panic attacks.
• Aggression.

Long-Term Effects

Long-term effects of synthetic marijuana use is largely unknown due to its status as a relatively new drug on the market. However, heart damage from myocardial ischemia and renal damage are severe effects that have been reported. Both, obviously, are ominous signs of the potential long-term consequences.
Frequent Spice use has also been known to elicit seizure activity in some individuals.

Changing Composition/New Dangers

Ingredients in synthetic marijuana products change often, as manufacturers attempt to circumvent legal restrictions by constantly changing the chemical composition from batch to batch.
Because the user can't be exactly sure what's being purchased, it's nearly impossible to predict the potential side effects that may be encountered. These adverse effects can be as variable as the ingredients and can even be deadly

Spice Dependence

Unlike marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids like Spice frequently elicit withdrawal symptoms-some quite severe. Withdrawing from Spice can be extremely uncomfortable, with symptoms including:

• Headache.
• Diaphoresis (sweating).
• Tremors.
• Drug cravings.
• Psychotic symptoms, such as paranoia and hallucinations.
• Mood changes / depression.
• Suicidal ideation

So whatever you do, don't try spice,K2, zombie drug or whatever its called. Its dangerous and potentially unsafe, even capable to kill you. Don't be a laboratory rat to test new products, that's what you would be doing when you decide to get high with spice. As a matter of fact anything intoxicating is harmful for health.

Thanks for reading