ProCon.org says that 1,246,170 people are card-carrying medical marijuana users. A 2017 Yahoo News/Marist poll found that 52 percent of Americans over 18 have tried marijuana. Furthermore, 44 percent of those who tried it once still use it today.
So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that with the cost of 1 ounce of legal pot in Colorado going for around $160, synthetic weed costing around $30 an ounce is becoming increasingly popular.
Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what's in artificial pot (the toxic "get you high" chemicals put on random vegetation change all the time)-and nothing proves that more than the recent rash of medical emergencies in Illinois, including bleeding from the eyes and ears, and deaths that are associated with smoking a batch of the synthetic stuff.
Add to that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that says kids who use synthetic marijuana are far more likely to inflict or become victims of violence, engage in risky sex and have mental health issues than kids who use just marijuana or neither. And if teens vape the fake weed, they also may have three times more evidence of toxic chemicals like acrylonitrile, acrolein, propylene oxide and crotonaldehyde in their system than nonusers.
If adults are going to make marijuana legal, they must take responsibility for educating children about the health risks associated with synthetic (and real) pot and vaping, or we're creating a public health crisis of enormous cost to individuals and society at large.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into "The Dr. Oz Show" or visit sharecare.com.
(c) 2018 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.