Addiction, Recovery and the Dangers Young People Face Today

By |

Robotripping, dank, bath salts, spice, triple C’s, skittles, Roxies, Oxys, Xanibars, K2, if these names don’t sound familiar, the current trends in juvenile drug abuse are as surprising to you as they were to me. A recovering addict myself, I was alarmed to learn what kinds of drugs are being used by our youth today.  The drugs are mostly synthetic, increasingly lethal, tend to require medically supervised withdrawal, and, in many cases, are undetectable by drug test. In 2010, SAMHSA reported 10.1 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users.   That same year, the rate of current illicit drug use was higher among young adults aged 18 to 25, stood at 21.5 percent. The rate of binge drinking in 2010 was 40.6 percent for young adults aged 18 to 25. Heavy alcohol use was reported by 13.6 percent of persons aged 18 to 25.  According to the CDC about 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks.

A joint. JJIE file photo. Ryan Schill / JJIE.org

20/20 Finds the Source of Fake Pot and it’s Not Local

By |

Packages of synthetic marijuana are one place you won’t find a “Made in China” sticker.  But in a report airing tonight, ABC’s 20/20 discovered that the pouches of dried leaves and herbs—sold as incense—probably should. The “incense” gets its punch from a variety of synthetic cannabinoids sprayed onto the dried plant matter and ABC’s investigation traced the source of the chemical back to suppliers in China. A few weeks ago we reported on the dangers of smoking products such as “K4” and “Spice Gold.”  In most states they are completely legal and sold in convenience stores and smoking shops.  Because they are marked “Not for human consumption,” the FDA does not regulate them and no ID is required to purchase them.  You don’t have to be 18 years old to buy a pack of fake pot. For the full story, go read our report, “The Straight Dope on Fake Dope.”