NIDA Researcher: Synthetic Marijuana “The Emerging Face Of Drug Abuse”

PBS NewsHour (12/23) correspondent William Brangham sat down with National Institute on Drug Abuse toxicologist Dr. Marilyn Huestis, among others, to discuss the “rise of the drug synthetic marijuana, commonly known as Spice or K2.” In the interview, Dr. Huestis predicted that synthetic marijuana will be “the emerging face of drug abuse for the future,” adding that some of the new drugs that come out are “very potent, up to 100 times as potent as cannabis.” She is studying the chemical composition of synthetic drugs in her lab and notes the challenges of identifying the “ever-changing cocktail of chemicals.”

Related Links:

— “What’s in that synthetic drug? An unknown grab-bag of toxic chemicals,” William Brangham, PBS NewsHour, December 22, 2015.

Posted in In The News.