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KNOCKING OUT K2
Tackling an important health risk
and safety issue devastating some of
Brooklyn’s neighborhoods, Borough
President Adams has led the fi ght to
get K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, o of
the streets. Sold in bodegas, smoke
shops and online for less than $10 a
packet, this substance –- also referred
to as Spice, synthetic marijuana or
“legal” marijuana –- mirrors some
e ects of the plant-based drug, but
comes with a laundry list of possible
side e ects because of the mixture of
chemicals with which it is sprayed.
“K2 is a threat to the health and
safety of New York City, and we
must take decisive action,” said
Borough President Adams. “This is
not a plant. This is not marijuana.
This is a dangerous chemical that is
being used to distort the behavior
of everyday Brooklynites, and it’s
something that we want to see o
our streets immediately. We need
help from government and everyday
Brooklynites to move this conversation
forward.”
In 2014, New York City saw a
220% increase in emergency room
visits related to synthetic drug use.
Borough President Adams highlighted
the human impact of this crisis for
the public on August 25th, when he
stood alongside Della Ellis, a resident
of Downtown Brooklyn recovering
from an addiction to K2, to send out a
joint call to action. The alert included
the news that Woodhull Medical and
Mental Health Center in Bedford-
Stuyvesant has recently seen a spike
of three to six related emergency room
visits a day related to the substance.
Following his warning
announcement, e orts to take
action on the local level signifi cantly
intensifi ed. Borough President Adams
welcomed the news in October that
the City Council passed and Mayor
Bill de Blasio signed legislation that
will criminalize the manufacture,
possession with intent to sell, and sale
of the drug. Under the new laws, selling
K2 will be considered a misdemeanor
that can carry punishments of up to
one year in jail and $5,000 in fi nes.
Borough President Adams
continues to advocate for the passage
of New York State legislation,
sponsored by State Senator Je rey
Klein and Assembly Member Mark
Gjonaj, which would make selling
more than 25 grams of the drug a
felony punishable by up to fi ve years
in jail. Also, under the legislation,
businesses that sell the drug would
face increased fi nes and the possibility
of losing their alcohol, cigarette and/
or lottery license.
Additionally, Borough President
Adams has urged the Drug
Enforcement Agency to add synthetic
marijuana to the controlled substances
list, banning any and all chemical
combinations that are similar to K2,
and has called on Congress to support
Senator Charles Schumer’s legislation
that would make it illegal to import
any “alternative hazardous synthetic
drugs” for human consumption.
Borough President Adams has
strongly advised residents to call
311 and report any stores selling or
possessing K2 in their neighborhoods.
Borough President Adams and Della Ellis, a resident of Downtown Brooklyn recovering from an addiction to K2,
held up a poster displaying examples of colorful packaging used to wrap the drug at a press conference in Brooklyn
Borough Hall, where he issued a call to action to address synthetic marijuana’s impact on public health and safety.
FAST FACTS: (Courtesy of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)
• K2 is a synthetic cannabinoid; it is not marijuana.
• K2 refers to the many herbal mixtures, inaccurately marketed as “safe” and legal, that produce marijuana-like e ects.
• K2 is often labeled “not for human consumption” and sold as “incense,” but looks more like potpourri.
• K2 may contain dried, shredded plant material and chemicals that create mind-altering e ects.
• In New York State, it is illegal to possess, sell, o er to sell or manufacture synthetic cannabinoids.
• The substance is often referred to as K2, Spice, synthetic marijuana or “legal” marijuana and common brand names
include Geeked Up, Smacked, Scooby Snax, Green Giant, Red Giant, Mr. Bad Guy, iBlown, and Trippy.
• The substance is mainly smoked and sometimes mixed with marijuana or added to hot water for drinking.
• While K2 produces marijuana-like e ects, some users have reported having extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia
and hallucinations. Other reported e ects include rapid heart rate, vomiting, seizures and fainting.
• Synthetic marijuana can also cause kidney failure, raise blood pressure and reduce blood supply to the heart.
In a few cases, it has been associated with heart attacks.
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