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Synthetic Marijuana and Bath Salts. Nina Hancock, LMFT Therapist at the Adventure Program 1003 North Broadway Johnson City , TN 37601 423-232-4326 Nhancock@frontierhealth.org. Fake Pot aka K2.
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Synthetic Marijuana and Bath Salts Nina Hancock, LMFT Therapist at the Adventure Program 1003 North Broadway Johnson City , TN 37601 423-232-4326 Nhancock@frontierhealth.org
Fake Pot aka K2 • Uses chemical compounds that are structured similar to THC, active ingredient in marijuana and mixes with varying mixtures of dried herbs, flowers and tobacco leaves • These compounds typically give a similar affect as pot with a mellow or euphoric feeling • Sold at “head shops” , online, sometimes convenience stores • Supposed to be illegal in TN-July 2010, difficult to enforce • Can be as much as 10 times as potent, high lasts 1 to 1 ½ hours • Names: Spice, K2, K6, Happy Hour, Zombie blood
Bath Salts9/7/11- DEA moved to use its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily control methylenedioxypyrovalerone and 2 other synthetic stimulants: mephedrone and methylone.
Bath SaltsNames: Ivory Wave,Bliss, White Lightning, Hurrican Charlie, Vanilla Sky • Powerful stimulants (methedrone and MDPV), similar to cocaine or meth • Mostly snorted • Some states are seeing more of a problem than others ( example by 1/2011 Louisiana had had 160 poison control cases and enacted a ban by the Governor) • Poison Control had 303 cases in 2010 and 4720 cases from 1/1/11 to 8/31/11- Nationally • Physical effects of tachycardia, hypertension, arrhythmias, hyperthermia, seizures, stroke, myocardial infarction, and even death. • Behavioral and mental effects include panic attacks, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, psychosis, aggressive or violent behavior (such as self-mutilation, suicide attempts, and homicidal activity), insomnia, anorexia, and depression.
Problems with K2 -Don’t know what you are getting -Different people have different reactions -Increasing number of emergency room visits over last several years presenting with high blood pressure, heart palpitations, vomiting, paranoia, hallucinations and seizures (Midwest had higher incidents) -Sometimes user is not mellow but delirious, anxious, or agitated state -seizures ( per kid reports) -psychotic behaviors, sometimes permanent
Psychological Effects • Many times mellow, euphoria mimicking pot (but most kids say not as good as pot) • Sometimes : Agitated state • Paranoia • Psychotic symptoms: not in touch with reality, hallucinating, rapid mood shifts, • May be seeing more of a “crash” come down • Anxious/ Panic feeling
Long Term Effects • WE DON’T KNOW • I think we will see a strong pattern of addiction/ highly addictive many are reporting great difficulty quitting even when wanting to • For the people that become permanently psychotic: great amounts of care, lack of mood control, difficulty interfacing with others, new crisis in mental health care
How does all this affect teachers? • Impaired learning: low motivation to complete work, state dependent learning, many have given up long ago and are now behind, poor memory, difficult to understand your message • Sleeping in class, or sedated • Truancy-skipping to use, not being motivated to come, missing the next day due to use yesterday
How this affects teachers? Continued… • Moody- increased irritability, opposition, angry, up and down roller coaster • Opposition: you can’t make me, power struggles • Disrupts classrooms for other students • Secondary problems from family use • I think possibly a more agitated “ come down”
How can teachers help facilitate change? • Teachers/school staff have an opportunity to make the earlier intervention. • You can be part of the consequences that bring change . • You can be the adult mentor in their life that liked them, told them they could make it and deserve to want more. • You see them more than many. • You can see things parents can’t see.
How can teachers facilitate change? cont. 9. Monitor and notice, make it more difficult, design external controls. 10. Help them manage stress. • Meet them at their culture. • Help them find a non-use passion. 13. Keep hope alive.
Consequences Advice From teens: • “First time you catch them do something big” • “Stop it before it gets too bad” • “Just because it’s not your kids doesn’t mean you can’t help them” • “The kids are never too old for recess”