LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT POT
I am sharing this information with my grandchildren and our readers who are the dearest people in my life.
Having been in the addiction treatment business for 40 plus years, and still in it, I felt I was pretty up on things.
After all, I make it a point to read a lot about the latest on drugs. Well, I had a very rude awakening when I went to a seminar in Houston this Spring of 2018, sponsored by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
I attended a workshop on the latest information on Marijuana. Our drug court team all went to this workshop and you have never seen a team of professionals leave a workshop so frightened. I made up my mind right then to talk to my grandchildren about what I learned and make sure that they know what I know.
It is crucial that you arm yourself with information and that what you know is based on real science and facts – not what you learn from your peers or from the bits here and there in the media or worse yet from the growers and sellers. What I did know was that today’s marijuana is far stronger than the marijuana of the 60’s and far more addictive – and yes, about that I was correct. But here is what I did not know:
There are now various hybrid strains of Marijuana thanks to technology:
- There is Indica which is the depressant form – there are hybrid forms of this type called Squish and Ruderboui – [street names]
- There is Sativa which is the stimulant form – this form is a lot like methamphetamine, folks like this form because they claim it increases your focus – it is the “daytime” form versus the depressant form which makes you lazy, and relaxed.
- These kinds of marijuana were never heard of five years ago and are far more powerful in their effects than the pot of old. Anytime a drug is made more potent, it is obviously far more addictive as well. Promethazene, yet another hybrid of pot is an antihistamine which can be used to increase the impact of opioids.
Many of the forms of pot are put into edibles and referred to as “Girl Scout cookies”.
“Sizzurp” – is a cough syrup with codeine that is laced with other of the hybrids and may be called jolly rancher or candy with mixed reactions and highs.
“OTC” = over the counter dxm kinds of cough syrups are being used for the same and referred to as “lean drank”. Double cup also refers to cough medication that is used to get high.
“DABS” = This is a marijuana concentrate, also wax and oil are concentrates. These are obtained by using Butane to extract the THC from Marijuana than heated to cook off the butane. However, the heating/cooking does not entirely remove all the butane so people who are smoking pot are also smoking butane. Marijuana processed in this manner has 89-90% THC in it and is called /Slatter. It is one of the purest forms of pot. The most pure form at 99% pure THC is called “diamonds” and behaves just like methamphetamine and looks like it because it is is THC-A Crystalline in form. These pure forms are especially dangerous and addictive.
Yet another form of marijuana that is often used in the edibles is called Ripple, it is tasteless, odorless and cannot be detected when eaten. The edibles are particularly dangerous for this reason and also because you cannot be sure of the type of marijuana or hybrid being used in the edible or the amount.
Today, drugs are being mixed to obtain stronger effects as per the hybrids noted in my foregoing notes. This is also why drug abuse is so very dangerous – you simply do not know what you are getting because you don’t know what is being mixed with a particular drug you may be offered or that you may purchase. The pop singer Prince for example, thought he bought Percocet for pain however, it was laced with Fentanyl and it killed him.
This brings me to the issue of Fentanyl which is 50x’s stronger than heroin. This is a synthetic drug/opioid used as an anesthetic or for postoperative pain. It is being used increasingly to lace in various drugs and is the cause of many deaths and overdoses. Carfentanyl AKA the Elephant tranquilizer is also masquerading as “oxy” pills and is killing people.
The bottom line to all of this is that you cannot afford to risk accepting marijuana from anyone, taking a hit or trusting that what you are trying is the slightest bit safe. Kids do not know what they are getting or what is in the substance they think is just plain pot., none of it is likely just “plain pot”.
It is a scary world out there filled with people who want you to believe that pot is fun and safe and no big deal – after all it is “medical” and legal so it must be “okay“. Don’t believe the hype… it is anything but safe. As we study it, we will find medical uses for cannabinoids minus the THC. But presently there is no scientific validity supporting the safety or medical usefulness of THC – the ingredient in marijuana that gets you high. What it does get you is addicted! With all my love and admiration, Mona Sumner
