Kenneth Wakefield’s mugshot
You may remember seeing some stories in the news around April this year about over 100 people in Alabama being sent to the emergency room for synthetic marijuana use. There was also a scare in New York around the same time that involved 160 people being sent to the emergency room in a week long period for using the synthetic pot. I cannot remember reading a single headline like either of these regarding regular marijuana. This left me thinking, how is it different from real marijuana? And, how could synthetic marijuana possible still be legal?
The short answer to what is synthetic marijuana? Is, “It’s not marijuana.” It goes by brand names like, “K2,” “K3,” or “Spice,” and you can buy it in most gas stations and bodegas around the country. It is actually made out of over 100 different chemical compounds that are rearranged every time a law tries to ban one of the substances. This cocktail is sprayed onto dried plant leaves or material. Most of these chemicals come from loosely regulated labs in china. They mostly affect the cannabinoid receptors of the brain to mimic the effects of marijuana. The effects of the drugs are up to 100 times as effective on the brain as marijuana if you compare it by weight or volume of active chemicals. All of the chemicals that are used to synthesize these drugs are completely illegal in America.
If that alone didn’t scare you, have you heard about the crazy things people do while under the influence of the drug? Well, if not, you’re about to. On July 25th, 2015, Kenneth Wakefield allegedly stabbed his wife repeatedly and decapitated her. He then killed their pets and then stabbed out his own eye and cut off his hand. He was found naked and covered in blood by a neighbor. Kenneth reportedly struggled with mental illness and had smoked synthetic marijuana before police state, “He said he was trying to get the evil out of Trina.”
On July 5th, 2014, Bardo Bustos had a complete psychotic breakdown after ingesting the synthetic marijuana labeled, “Kush.” He received a forty five year prison sentence for brutally beating and stabbing his then girlfriend, Felicia Barrios, to death in front of a crowd that included her two children.
On January 11th, 2012, Tresvon Spencer, went on a shooting spree after ingesting synthetic marijuana. He killed a minor and injured four others.
Loretta “Candy” Hall was charged with the brutal stabbing of Kenneth Fogle that led to his death on June 23rd, 2015.
The list is endless. Several books could be written on the subject of violence, seemingly produced directly from ingestion of synthetic marijuana alternatives. Furthermore, synthetic drugs are increasingly difficult to litigate against due to their changing chemical compounds. These issues are leading to epidemic that we may have only seen the very beginning of.
We need to promote awareness about the dangers of this drug! Share this article, and ones like it, with your friends and family. Spread the word that this drug is not safe! You could help to save someone’s life!
