There's nothing marijuana about synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is made with chemicals developed in labs and sprayed on nonpsychoactive plants.
Marijuana has been growing naturally for millions of years (though its potency has increased through selection).
So why are people returning time and time again to buy glorified mulch sprayed with mystery chemicals like JWH-018? Because these people want legal marijuana. Haven't we learned anything from the 18th Amendment? There is a huge demand for weed, and now we are experiencing a wide range of problems associated with its prohibition. Just like the blindness bore from basement-brewed booze, synthetic marijuana is a stand-in that has been rote with unintended consequences.
One brand of synthetic marijuana called Spice has only been in existence for a few years, but already deaths and mental problems are attributed to its use. The synthesized drug should be banned, but our Legislature seems painfully lethargic in passing a bill.
How many people have died from using actual marijuana? Zero. Zilch. Ziparoo. There isn't one marijuana death on record, while alcohol took 13,846 Americans in 2008, and tobacco claims around
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440,000 annually (100 million worldwide in the 20th century!).
To me, it seems common sense to have realistic laws that actually correlate to the level of danger associated with using a drug ("Duluth City Council makes synthetic marijuana illegal," Aug. 31).
I believe we need to have a new conversation weighing the pros and cons of decriminalizing, taxing and regulating old Mary Jane, especially in this economy. Just like alcohol prohibition led to the consumption of dangerous, home-brewed hooch and to the bankrolling of syndicated crime, the prohibition of marijuana has led to a drug war in Mexico; the inevitable legal imitations have proven to be more harmful than the drug they mimic.
"Put that in your pipe and smoke it," as goes the oft-unattributed quote.
Eric Meyer
Duluth
