Synthetic Cannabis Overdose and Withdrawal in a Young Adult: A Case-Report and Commentary on Regulation
Samán, John1*, Ferrer, Gerardo F1, Akinyemi, Boye1, Oms, Juan D1, Dumenigo, Rhaisa1, Jonquiere, Patricia2
Affiliation
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Larkin Community Hospital, South Miami, FL USA
- 2Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Jackson Memorial Health System, Miami, FL, USA
Corresponding Author
Saman John, Department of Psychiatry, Larkin Community Hospital, 7000 SW 62nd Ave. St. 401, South Miami, FL 33142, USA, Tel: 504-338-3495; 305-284-7608; E-mail: jsamaan@larkinhospital.com
Citation
John. S., et al. Synthetic Cannabis Overdose and Withdrawal in a Young Adult: A Case Report, Commentary on Regulation and Review of Literature. (2017) J Addict Depend 3(1): 1- 5.
Copy rights
© 2017 John, S. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Abstract
Background/Introduction: Marijuana has been used for its psychotropic effects including enhanced relaxation and perceptual alterations. However, the use of synthetic cannabis (marijuana) leads to more frequent and drastic side effects than the typical use of regular marijuana, owing to the fact that synthetic cannabis has a shorter duration and an earlier peak of action.
Despite all the potential adverse health effects associated with synthetic cannabis use, current health policies on synthetic cannabis are very limited. It is believed that the popularity of synthetic cannabis has increased, due to its easy accessibility in the US and the lack of detection in typical urine drug screens for Tetrahydrocannabinol derivatives (THC).
Case Report: One case is presented of a young adult patient, with histories of recurrent synthetic cannabis and recreational cannabis use, who had developed drastic physiological and psychiatric symptoms, including the development of acute-onset psychosis.
Conclusion/Discussion: This case, as many others nationwide, exemplifies the impact of synthetic cannabinoid use and abuse in adolescents. Side effects and adverse health consequences of synthetic cannabinoid use warrants stricter regulations and policies in order to decrease psychiatric hospital admissions and associated healthcare costs.
