A new study found that “Spice” has more severe withdrawal symptoms than cannabis, and they are “significantly worse” than for those trying to give up cannabis.
According to researchers at the University of Bath, 'Spice' or synthetic marijuana, a mix of herbs and lab-made chemicals with mind-altering effects, much more harmful than cannabis.
Medical Xpress reports that in the survey, more than two in three who tried Spice said its withdrawal symptoms — including trouble sleeping, irritability and low mood — were excruciating compared to those of cannabis.
Sam Craft, the lead author and PhD student, said: “Although originally produced as a legal alternative to cannabis, our findings show that spice is a much more harmful drug and that people trying to quit are likely to experience a range of severe withdrawal symptoms.”
"It is therefore important that more effort is made to ensure that Spice is not used as a substitute for cannabis or any other medicine, and people who have problems with Spice should be supported with treatment."
Synthetic “spice” marijuana compared to regular cannabis
In the study, the psychologists asked hundreds of people who used both cannabis and spice to compare their effects.
The researchers were interested in getting answers to some questions, such as "how likely is a drug to cause long-term harm, such as how severe the withdrawal symptoms are, how long the effects last, and how quickly tolerance develops (meaning that larger amounts of the drug are needed to have the same effect as before).”
Obviously, the impact Spice had on them was considered far more damaging than cannabis – moreover, the withdrawal symptoms were also much more severe.
The solution? A change is needed, because leaving people alone with their drug problems fails miserably; urgent help is needed!
dr. Tom Freeman, the senior author and director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, added: “These findings identify severe withdrawal symptoms as a major clinical problem in people using Spice, highlighting the urgent need to develop effective treatments. develop to help people quit.”
Sources including Canex (EN), Medical Express (EN), Psychreg (EN)
