Newswise — Synthetic cannabis – called fake weed and sold as K2 or Spice – is back in the news this week as Illinois public health officials blame it for a fourth death. Synthetic cannabis is typically marketed as a safe and legal alternative to marijuana, but in reality, has nothing to do with the cannabis plant.

“’Synthetic marijuana’ is a misnomer. It’s made from totally different chemicals than those found in the cannabis plant, and they have an unknown impact on the body,” says Christopher Evans, a pharmacologist and professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA. “So ingesting it is kind of a crapshoot.”

“Synthetic pot originated as a group of compounds synthesized by chemists for research, to probe the cannabinoid system and perhaps eventually to develop leads for pharmaceuticals,” Evans says. “The compounds in Spice have not been tested in humans. Today’s synthetic marijuana is made in clandestine labs with no quality or purity oversight. You have no idea what’s in it - maybe rat poison, maybe deadly opioids, maybe salmonella or mold. There are several examples where Spice concoctions have proven to be deadly.”

Evans, who teaches a class in the neurobiology of illicit drugs to UCLA undergraduates and is a member of UCLA’s Cannabis Research Initiative, is available to discuss the risks of synthetic marijuana.

Evans faculty page: http://www.bri.ucla.edu/people/christopher-j-evans-phd

To schedule an interview, email or call Leigh Hopper at [email protected] or 310-308-0405.