CORRECTION: Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Callisto’s name was previously misspelled.

The New York State Department of Health banned the sale of synthetic marijuana Thursday, an order to take immediate effect.

Synthetic marijuana, often referred to as legal pot, is a mixture of herbal and chemical ingredients that mimic the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. It is frequently sold in gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores as incense, herbal mixtures or potpourri under names such as K2 and Mr. Nice Guy, according to the Department of Health order.

Although not as widely used as marijuana and alcohol on the Syracuse University campus, usage of the drug is high enough to cause concern. There have been several cases of SU students being hospitalized after using synthetic marijuana, said Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Callisto.

Side effects of synthetic marijuana include increased heart rate, paranoid behavior, agitation and irritability, nausea and vomiting, confusion, drowsiness, headaches, hypertension, electrolyte abnormalities, seizures and loss of consciousness, according to the order.

Because of the drug’s hallucinogenic effects, it has caused some students under its influence to engage in criminal behavior such as assault, Callisto said.

Calistto said he thinks the Health Department made the right decision in banning synthetic marijuana.

‘This substance is both dangerous to people’s health and creates some pretty bizarre behaviors,’ he said.

Synthetic marijuana use has been a violation of the SU Student Code of Conduct ever since the substance surfaced and DPS became aware of its effects, Callisto said.

Use of synthetic marijuana in New York has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2009 and 2010, New York State Poison Control centers received only four calls concerning the use of synthetic marijuana. In 2011, the centers received 105 calls, more than half of which involved individuals under the age of 19. Nationwide, poison control centers have received approximately 8,000 calls concerning the use of this substance since 2011, according to the order.

The New York state ban is part of a nationwide reaction to the use of synthetic marijuana. Thirty-six other states have already banned the substance, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prohibited five chemicals widely used in synthetic marijuana, according to a March 29 New York Daily News article.

However, the federal ban is too narrow to cover many of the synthetic marijuana products being sold. Since the substance first surfaced three years ago, underground chemists have been constantly altering the ingredients they use to get around the ban. The federal ban is set to expire in six months, according to the article.

A federal bill to outlaw the sale of synthetic marijuana nationwide is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate, according to the article.

jliannet@syr.edu

Published on April 1, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta