Mark Schlachtenhaufen
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND — Law enforcement officials want Edmond parents to know local youth are using a new synthetic form of marijuana currently not included on the state’s list of outlawed drugs.
But that won’t be for long. A bill that would add K2 to the list of illegal drugs is progressing through the Legislature.
On March 2, a 16-year-old Edmond North High School student was cited for public intoxication after smoking K2, according to a police report released Wednesday.
School staff brought the student to the school office, believing he was intoxicated, police said. The student, who was being held up to keep from falling down, told staff he was high on K2.
After he vomited in a trash can, the school nurse was notified of the situation, police said. When asked what kind of K2 he used, the student told police it was “K2 Summit.”
The student showed signs of impairment similar to that of marijuana use, police said. He told police he smoked a “large blunt” and that was why he was vomiting. Individuals who smoke a large amount of K2 can possibly become ill and vomit because of one of the plants the K2 mixture contains, police said.
The student told police he smoked K2 across the street in a field near the school during lunch. When police asked him if he smoked it with anyone else, he said there were two other youth with him.
Police said the 16-year-old student was issued a juvenile citation for drunkenness and then released into the custody of a parent.
Edmond Police spokeswoman Glynda Chu said police want parents to be aware that this drug is being used by teens in local schools, and while it is legal, it is still not acceptable to be high or in an altered state of mind at school.
“This student not only is facing a citation for drunkenness at school, but also school punishment and had to be taken to the doctor,” Chu said. “We hope parents will talk to their kids about the dangers of K2 as well as any other drugs they may encounter.”
Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spokesman, said K2 is so new in the U.S. that there are few Web sites containing information about it. Use has snowballed in the past few months, Woodward said. Users include high school students, adults and individuals serving in the military.
“It’s growing in popularity daily,” he said.
In addition to “K2 Summit,” street names for K2 include “Spice,” “Genie,” “Blaze,” “Red X Dawn” and “Zohal.” K2 produces powerful euphoria and hallucinogenic symptoms 90 percent similar to marijuana, Woodward said.
A mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, Woodward said. Cannabis products include marijuana, hashish and hashish oil.
A Clemson University organic chemistry professor researching the effects of cannabinoids on the brain produced a paper that contained the method and ingredients used to make the K2 compound. Cannabinoids are a group of compounds present in cannabis.
Dr. Bill Banner, medical director of the Oklahoma Poison Control Center, said some Edmond youth are buying K2 on the Internet. Another source for the drug is some Oklahoma City “head shops” that also sell items such as smoking pipes, Banner said.
Youth who shop for K2 online and think they’re buying the genuine product likely are not, Banner said.
Woodward said House Bill 3241 by state Rep. David Derby, R-Owasso, would add K2 to the state’s list of illegal drugs. Woodward said the House passed the bill earlier this week. It will not affect herbs, he said.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
