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Kidney Failures Linked To Synthetic Marijuana

National Institutes of Health

We’ve been reporting on “spice” for months, as the popularity of the synthetic marijuana has continued to rise.  Now public health officials in the Northwest are raising concerns that spice has been linked to a series of kidney failure cases in the region.

The synthetic marijuana is sold under several street names including "spice" and "K2." It's made of a variety of plant material that's sprayed with a chemical meant to mimic the active substance in marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is banned under state and federal law.

Now, public health officials have linked its use to a series of kidney failure cases in Oregon and Washington.

"We are trying to make people aware that these designer drugs as they're called are not only illegal, but they can be highly dangerous," says Katrina Hedberg, the Oregon state epidemiologist. "And that once you have kidney damage, it may be longer term health effects from that."

Hedberg says of the six recent kidney failures linked to synthetic marijuana, five of the victims were under the age of 18. She says state health labs are analyzing samples of the drug to find the specific toxin that's causing the kidney problems.

Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.

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