Spice Is Not Marijuana (video)

The deadly street drug Spice is popping up in the news and in the political rhetoric these days.

People (particularly politicians) who are opposed to marijuana legalization are quoting Spice arrest and death rates in an attempt to confuse and scare the public and cast shade on marijuana (a plant that never killed anyone). Spice is not marijuana. Period.

Spice–also known as “synthetic marijuana”– is a big pharma drug gone wrong. Yes, in an attempt to create a marijuana pill, big pharma invented the chemical that is sprayed on plant matter and sold as Spice. According to the American Journal of Medicine, that big pharma formula was stolen by the Chinese and is being marketed as Spice. When law enforcement tries to crack down on Spice, but the makers keep changing the formula– thus staying ahead of the game.

For some background on Spice, check out this blog post about Spice and the video below. AJM Editor-inChief Dr. Joseph Alpert talks about Spice and the medical care provided to patients who end up in the local ER on a bad trip.
Top 10 Facts on Synthetic Cannabinoids: Not So Nice Spice

In the spirit of full disclosure, I work for The American Journal of Medicine. For 12 years, I was the managing editor. Now, I work part-time as the Journal’s social media editor.