New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
There is a poison being sold in many New Bedford convenience stores and across the nation even though many towns and cities have banned it including Boston. The poison goes buy the names synthetic marijuana, spice and K2. There are literally 500 other names. The most common name “synthetic marijuana” is deceiving because it is far more dangerous than real marijuana. Use of it can cause death (though rare) and side effects include high blood pressure, blurred vision, heart attack, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations, and severe anxiety and paranoia. Manufacturers get away with selling the poison by placing a “not for consumption” on the label or simply tweaking the formula.
Use of the synthetic marijuana is increasing significantly and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported some alarming statistics. From January–May 2015, poison centers across America reported 3,572 calls related to synthetic marijuana use, a 229% increase from the 1,085 calls during the same January–May period in 2014. The most commonly reported adverse health effects were agitation, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heart rate), drowsiness, vomiting and confusion.
Around midnight on January 17th, 2016, New Bedford police responded to a man stabbed by a sword on Cherry Tree Lane in New Bedford. Police responded and recovered synthetic marijuana from the scene. As the CDC reported, the top side effect is agitation and could explain the stabbing. The next day police responded to and had to assist a woman having a nervous break down at New Bedford convenience store. Synthetic marijuana was reported as the cause. These are a tiny sample of incidents in New Bedford involving synthetic marijuana. Here is a heart-breaking story from a mother on how synthetic marijuana took her daughter’s life.
Why hasn’t New Bedford banned this from being sold in our stores? Apparently, it is still legal to sell in New Bedford even though three times several city council members have requested a ban on it. This motion was filed in August, 2014, but nothing resulted from it:
In August of 2015, Boston banned the use, sale or purchase of synthetic marijuana and imposed a $300 fine for selling, distributing or possessing it. A few month later New York followed suit. Why hasn’t New Bedford, or even Massachusetts followed suit? We asked the City of New Bedford and here’s a comment from the City’s Health Director:
We are actively looking at different ways to address the issue of synthetic marijuana. Some communities have adopted regulations but the manufacturers have already found ways to avoid them by manipulating their product labeling or its chemical composition. The New Bedford Board of Health will be convening in the next month or so to review model regulations that could work for New Bedford and be both meaningful and effective.” – Dr. Brenda Weis, Director of the New Bedford Health Department
What do you think? Should synthetic marijuana be banned from New Bedford convenience stores? Why hasn’t it yet?
