JUST TO GET BY

Words by Kenneth Miles | Images by Akintola Hanif

Weed smokers don’t have to worry about getting arrested anymore, and they no longer have to be at the mercy of a dealer to deliver that sticky icky. Synthetic marijuana brands such as Spice, Strawberry Blond, K2 and Hulk, are being sold in head shops, tobacco stores, gas stations and bodegas across the country.

Marketed as ‘aromatic’ and “magical,” these herbal incense products are being sold for $5-60 per package and have been growing in popularity with people who are on parole, probation, job hunting, or afraid of breaking the law. Essentially a designer drug, synthetic marijuana is a mixture of common herbs sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids which affect the body like chemicals naturally found in marijuana, such as THC.

“I wasn’t apprehensive about smoking K2 even though I read on the package that it wasn’t meant for human consumption,” says 34-year old Ann Tyson, from Jamaica Queens, who like millions of other Americans has been looking for work in this bad economy. Tyson didn’t want her daily Kush habit to prevent her from landing a job because a drug test may be required. “I knew the manufacturers had to put a statement on the package to cover their ass. Even though it wasn’t the real weed that I’m used to smoking, I did get a high, but it felt more like a pill high. I felt loopy. It was my first time and last time smoking synthetic weed. If it’s not the real thing, I don’t want it.”

Other smokers don't care if it's fake. HYCIDE interviewed teens from outside Newark who come to the city every day to score legal weed. They buy it from a jewelry shop and know how to maximize their high.

"We smoke this shit through the bottle because it hits way harder like that.'' said one.

They don't worry about the consequences. None of the dangerous chemicals in fake weed appear on the labels, but people are in essence playing Russian roulette with their lives.

In 12 states, sales have been banned by legislatures, including Kansas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky. Synthetic marijuana is also banned in some cities in Texas.

Still, it’s legal in 37 states. In the past year, there have been over 500 cases of adverse reactions to the substance, including agitation, hallucinations, seizures, and increased heart rate and blood pressure, according to the American Association of Poison Control Center. The number of reports has increased dramatically. In 2009, the center cited only six incidents.

As long as there is money to be made in this country, there will be someone looking to profit from people who seek escape from the pain and everyday stress in their lives. “I like to be high,” Tyson said when asked why she consumed a substance that clearly says, "not intended for human use.''

“Weed calms me down. I usually smoke before I go to sleep. It’s become a part of my routine,'' she explains. "I know that people get high as a way to deal with their emotions. It worked at first, but after a while I just realized what I was doing was trying to put a band-aid over life long emotional wounds just to get through the day.”

Kenneth Miles has been syndicated by The New York Times Syndi- cate, written for Interview, Paper and The Source magazines. He’s just completed his memoir ‘32’ to be published in 2012.