What are spices (“smoking mixtures”) and the consequences of their use

Good day, reader! The topic today is drugs “spice” (Spais, Spice) or smoking mixtures. By the way, some people confuse salts and spices. But these are narcotic substances that belong to different types of action: the first are psychostimulants (F15), the second are a group of cannabinoids (F12). Drug addiction today can have different types. Sometimes it is “hidden behind” innocent names, such as bath salts or “smoking mixtures”, “aroma mixes”, even “hookah mixtures”. But these words hide not safe substances at all, but something that can seriously damage the psyche, cause blindness, or even cause death. So, what are spices and what are the consequences of using them?

Among young people today, the myth is actively cultivated that “spice” is an analogue of marijuana, much less harmful in its effects.

Today it has been proven that the active ingredients of synthetic spices are many times more active than the psychoactive substances of natural herbal preparations from the cannabis group, which only increases the likelihood of toxic effects.

The main danger of these drugs is as follows:

1. They are publicly available. You can buy spice on the Internet; they are sold everywhere in clubs, and sometimes even in schools.
2. Spice is inexpensive, so even a schoolchild can find it.
3. These substances are almost instantly addictive, so a person very quickly becomes addicted.
4. They look innocent enough, so a teenager does not perceive smoking spice as “real drugs.” They are not injected into a vein or even sniffed or swallowed. In the minds of a teenager, smoking spice is something almost harmless, a little worse than a cigarette.
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5. The authorities do not have really effective tests for identifying smoking mixtures, so checking their composition is extremely difficult.
6. Since there are many smoking mixtures, it is impossible to know the exact dosage, as a result of which the number of overdoses, including fatal ones, is constantly growing.

Such a number of difficulties with smoking spice makes it one of the most dangerous drugs, threatening the health and life of the least protected and socialized age group - children and adolescents. As a result, we are seeing an increase in serious complications and deaths among them.

What are spices (aroma mixes)?

The slang name for spice is translated as “seasoning” or “spice,” but in fact these substances have nothing to do with real spices. This is a combination drug that looks like an herb or a mixture of herbs. The plants themselves may have hallucinogenic effects or be a harmless substance.

The main thing about spice is the active substance that is applied to the herbs.

Most of the classic synthetic cannabinoids, referred to as “smoking mixtures” or “spice,” were synthesized under the leadership of Professors J. W. Huffman and A. Makriyannis. Hence the corresponding abbreviations: “JWH” and “AM”. “Spices” are represented mainly by dibenzopyrans HU-210, cyclohexylphenols (CP 47.497 and its homologues), naphthoylindoles (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-398), phenylacetylindoles (JWH-250), and oleamide.

Spice drugs are made by the distributors themselves, coming up with original names for them: Aurora, Afghan, Shark, Goa-long, Love-mix.

In Russia, these substances became widespread in the spring of 2009. One of the journalists who observed that time describes this picture as follows:

“Crowds of drug addicts appeared in cramped courtyards, where, as if on cue, bright tents with the words “Incense” opened. Constricted or dilated pupils, jeeps driving up without a break - the intensity of the drug “movement” of this time was reminiscent of the heroin wave of the late 90s, when squares were littered with syringes. That generation “broke”, died out entirely, and many had a feeling of change: it seemed that the new young people did not want to be covered with ulcers, rot alive and die. But spice appeared...” Under the guise of “fertilizers for houseplants,” “remedies for Colorado beetles,” “aromatic incense,” “smoking mixtures.”

At the moment, the use of smoking mixtures is prohibited by the legislation of the Russian Federation and most countries of the world, but it has not yet been possible to completely eliminate drug supply channels.

Withdrawal syndrome

Physical withdrawal is not very pronounced, but mental withdrawal manifests itself in the form of increased craving for drugs and the appearance of anxiety, irritability and aggressiveness. Withdrawal syndrome develops gradually. After 2–3 days the following are observed:

• bouts of sweating,
• episodes of palpitations
• increased blood pressure;
• joint pain,
• a sharp decrease in mood,
• feelings of fear, panic and suicidal thoughts;
• isolation and negative attitude towards others.

The duration of withdrawal syndrome is about 7–9 days. This dangerous condition must be removed only in an inpatient drug treatment clinic.

How to use smoking mixtures

Synthetic cannabinoids are a mixture of synthetic psychoactive substances - cannabinoids similar to those found in plant hemp, sprayed onto ordinary dried herb.

It is usually smoked, some take it internally, brewing it as tea. The narcotic effect occurs almost instantly and most often exceeds the effect of smoking natural cannabis preparations in strength, but is less long lasting.

Literature

• Questions of Narcology No. 6 (166). — 2022. — 113 p.
• Dependence on smoking mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids: clinic and therapy / dissertation for a candidate of medical sciences: 01/14/27, 01/14/06 / Shakhova Svetlana Mikhailovna; [Place of protection: Nat. honey. research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after. V.P. Serbsky]. - Moscow, 2022. - 239 p.
• Narcology: a guide for doctors / P. D. Shabanov. — 2nd ed., revised. and additional - Moscow: GEOTAR-Media, 2012. - 829 p.

Article verified by an expert

Terekhova Anna Vladimirovna

psychologist-consultant on socio-psychological work with addicted clients and their families. More than 10 years of experience.

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How spice gets into the hands of teenagers

In most cases, any drug use begins in a group, out of curiosity, a desire to keep up with the leader, or “weakly.” This most often happens to those children who already smoke cigarettes and have a strong attachment to tobacco use. It is extremely rare for a teenager to become interested in smoking mixtures, so influence plays a huge role in the formation of drug addiction.

Spice distribution is still mainly carried out via the Internet. You can buy drugs on special websites, the addresses of which are passed from hand to hand. The drugs are sold under different names, so most often they are suggested by more “experienced” senior “comrades”.

But the Internet is not the only way to distribute spice. Drugs can be bought through social networks, by calling a phone number that is passed on to each other, or even simply written on the wall of the house. The mixtures are also distributed at various street kiosks, by hand, through acquaintances, and so on.

Since synthetic cannabinoids are especially dangerous for people with unstable mental health, in whom they can cause psychosis, hallucinations and addiction, most attention should be paid to the younger generation.

When consuming spice, teenagers often experience bouts of disorientation combined with euphoria. It is believed that it is the use of “smoking mixtures” that causes some of the so-called teenage suicides. They are mainly associated with falling out of a window or stepping off a balcony. In fact, the child did not even think about taking his own life. Simply stoned on spice, he might not realize that he was on the nth floor, or in his imagination he was flying, soaring, being a bird or a cloud.

Thus, the detrimental effect of narcotic smoking mixtures consists of a destructive effect on the human psyche, the impact on his mental health, the formation of persistent dependence on the drug and the possible subsequent transition from a “light” drug to the use of hard drugs.

Signs of using smoking mixtures (spice)

If you look closely at any drug addict, you will notice signs of drug use. If we are talking about a schoolchild, parents should often check their browser history on their computer and monitor their communications on social networks. The appearance of various suspicious personalities with strange nicknames, incomprehensible, as if coded messages mentioning treasure or bookmarks, active communication with people older than oneself and with teenagers who are not known to parents should definitely arouse suspicion.

A spice user can also be successfully identified by external signs. First, it must have a smoking device. This can be a regular plastic container with a hole or a special tube. True, a teenager can hide the device in suitable places, for example, in the entrance or vestibule at the entrance to the apartment.

A distinctive property of spice is its strong unpleasant odor. An attentive person may also note the following signs:

1. A person who smokes spice drinks a lot of water because he suffers from dry mucous membranes in his mouth.
2. He is often tormented by a cough due to dryness and burning of the larynx when smoking.
3. Spice addicts often suffer from eye damage, as smoke enters them and causes severe irritation and redness.
4. Paleness of the skin - strong, waxy or bluish, often combined with sweating and weakness.
5. Inhibited state, difficulties in communication, inability to quickly respond to any stimuli - external influence or the need to perform any, even the simplest mental operation. For example, under the influence of this type of drug, a person has difficulty counting change or remembering where he lives.
6. “Hanging”, when a person remains in one position without moving for a long time.
7. Slow blinking, frozen “absent” gaze.
8. Rapid pulse, as if a person has just run a hundred meters.
9. Impaired coordination of movements, uncertain, shaky gait.
10. Speech problems. Incoherent, slurred speech, procrastination, difficulty finding the right phrase.
11. Unexpected senseless and inappropriate laughter, often with hysterical overtones.

Such manifestations may occur during the use of smoking mixtures, but the effect of spice can last from 20 minutes to several hours.

Sometimes parents and surrounding adults learn about a teenager’s drug use only by his behavior after Spice, so you need to pay a lot of attention to the child and not attribute his bad mood solely to age-related changes in hormones. In a number of cases, it was the vigilance of loved ones that was able to save the life and health of a young drug addict.

Recovery after a drug binge

Smoking mixtures help young people relax and have fun. But after their use, a negative period begins. It is characterized by a loss of strength. A person does not even have the energy to take a shower or just talk to someone. His nervous system is trying to restore normal functioning. Temporarily she cannot fully function.

This is why so often people who use spice suffer from depression, apathy, and an inability to focus on anything. They cannot sleep well at night. They experience difficulty communicating with others.

The influence of narcotic smoking mixtures on the human body

Acute poisoning with synthetic cannabinoids

Signs of acute spice poisoning:

• confusion or loss of consciousness;
• nausea;
• high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat;
• repeated vomiting;
• dizziness and weakness up to the loss of the ability to move;
• agitation, convulsions, nightmares, hallucinations, psychosis;
• lack of response to external stimuli, coma, possible death.

The condition must be considered life-threatening.

External signs of spice use:

the presence of foil or polyethylene bags with a substance of greenish, greenish-yellow, greenish-brown colors; there may be a variety of inscriptions and designs on the bags.

Here is the observation of my colleague, an emergency doctor, about what acute Spice intoxication is like:

Systematic use of synthetic cannabinoids

It is believed that systematic use of cannabinoids does not lead to the development of addiction. “Breaks”, i.e. withdrawal syndrome does not develop.

With the systematic use of smoking spices, as a rule, a person is anxious, coordination of movements is impaired, or motor activity is chaotic. Drowsiness and lethargy are also possible. The pupil is often dilated, and difficulty focusing occurs. Speech is not clear. Severe weakness, pale skin, nausea, and vomiting are possible. It is difficult to attract attention. If hallucinatory disorders occur, then the person’s behavior corresponds to imaginary experiences.

Systematic smoking of synthetic cannabinoids leads to irreversible destructive processes in the central nervous system: attention decreases, memory deteriorates, mental activity slows down, and a tendency to depression and suicide appears.

Consequences of systematic use of spice

Smoking mixtures have dire consequences.

Medical:

• severe nervous disorders such as depressive syndrome, suicide attempts;
• development of mental and physical dependence, the same as with the use of other types of drugs: heroin, amphetamines, for example;
• damage to the central nervous system: decreased memory, attention, intellectual abilities;
• disturbances of speech, mental activity (understanding);
• disorder of coordination of movements, sleep patterns, loss of emotional control (sharp mood swings);
• psychoses, mental disorders of varying severity, up to complete collapse of personality (similar to schizophrenia);
• decreased immunity, impotence (for boys), hormonal imbalance (for girls);
• risk of developing diabetes, lung cancer, etc.;
• damage to the cardiovascular system;
• poisoning from overdose, death.

Social-psychological:

• destruction of social ties: loss of family, friends;
• loss of work, study, ban on certain types of professional activity, restrictions on obtaining a specialty, inability to drive a vehicle, or obtain permission to purchase weapons;
• connection with criminal circles, theft, risk of involvement in drug trafficking and criminal prosecution and other crimes;
• destruction of one’s personality: indifference to oneself, one’s future and loved ones, weakening of the will, the predominance of a single value called “drug”, loss of the meaning of life, emptiness, loneliness.

After the spice, the euphoria is followed by a decline in mood. The person feels internally empty and physically weakened. It is difficult for him to move and difficult to think. If this is a teenager, then the first sign of drug addiction will definitely be a decline in academic performance. Teachers will begin to complain about unfinished homework, missed lessons, apathy in class, rudeness and increased absences.

After using a narcotic smoking mixture, such a teenager may try to avoid communicating with parents and other adults for hours or even days. At the slightest opportunity, he will try to leave the house or lock himself in his room. If it is customary in the family to have lunch and dinner together, he will take all measures to eat alone or take food to his room.

Such a child may have problems with digestion and appetite, so he may change significantly in appearance, lose weight, and become pale. After the drug wears off, most spice smokers experience a decline in activity, which is expressed by apathy and drowsiness. This is often combined with sleep disorders, when the teenager wants to sleep during the day and stays awake at night.

The worst thing in this situation is that the teenager who uses smoking mixtures does not consider himself a drug addict. He stubbornly refuses to see the harm of his addiction, does not try to fight his addiction and diligently defends his friends who attracted him to drug use. It is very difficult to overcome the stubbornness of a drug addict, and in the case of a teenager, you will also have to fight with his age complexes and desire to confront the whole world.

The most terrible consequences are caused by an overdose of smoking spices. It can occur at the first use of a narcotic composition. Since these substances are produced illegally and by just anyone, no one worries about the safe level of the drug. As a result, a seemingly harmless mixture can cause acute poisoning.

Parents of teenagers, you should know how spice affects the body!

Typically, an overdose of synthetic cannabinoids begins with a sharp deterioration in health. A person stoned on spice turns white as a sheet, his blood pressure drops and his pulse quickens.

The next manifestations will be disturbances in the functioning of the digestive tract. The patient begins to experience severe nausea, which turns into vomiting, sometimes becoming indomitable, depleting the person. This is followed by severe dizziness, stupor, and loss of consciousness. If a teenager is not given medical help in a timely manner, the consequences can be dire.

Since when smoking spice, alcohol can be a catalyst for the poisoning process, symptoms can be significantly intensified. Even accepting a bottle of beer. What happens so often in teenage groups can cause acute poisoning with rapidly developing coma and death.

Risk of overdose - risk of death

The danger with spice is that it is very difficult to determine their maximum allowable dosage. Sellers are constantly experimenting with narcotic compounds and trying to make them cheaper. They add new stimulants to them, which have an excessively strong effect on the nervous system, heart, brain, and respiratory center.

With a severe overdose, the addict quickly becomes paler. He feels sick and vomits. He complains of feeling unwell. Afterwards he may lose consciousness. If qualified drug treatment assistance is not provided in a timely manner, there is a high probability of death.

How to protect your child from smoking spice

Prevention is much more effective if the child grows up in a normal family, and does not belong to a dysfunctional family with parents who drink or use drugs. But the positive example of mom and dad is not always a model for following the example of parents. Sometimes this provokes an unconscious protest against the correct life of the parents.

In this case, a good solution would be to visit the nearest clinic where drug addicts are treated, or to a psychiatric clinic or a department for drug addicts. Only the spectacle of what a drug addict turns into can frighten and turn him away from the potion.

The work of returning a drug addict to a normal state is very complex and multi-stage. Spice treatment is carried out with the participation of psychologists, teachers, doctors, and loved ones of the patient. Various medications are used in treatment, which also negatively affects the health of yesterday’s drug addict. Therefore, it is much more important to prevent the development of an addiction to smoking mixtures or using any other types of drugs by any means available.

Is it possible to avoid responsibility?

It is impossible to avoid punishment for the distribution of spice under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This is only possible for drug users. Article No. 6.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation specifies specific conditions for exemption from liability:

• The detainee himself voluntarily sought help from medical institutions, which confirmed his drug addiction. If he agrees to rehabilitation, he may be released from liability.
• The detainee is under 18 years of age and is ready to voluntarily seek medical help.

The problem of the spread of spice and other drugs requires active action to combat drug distributors. Therefore, responsibility is being tightened and changes in the chemical composition of the spices themselves are being monitored, adding new compounds to the list of prohibited ones.