K2 Becoming a Problem In Hobbs
By: Jamie Kuras
Updated: February 16, 2011
HOBBS -- A report from a staff member at Hobbs Freshman High School says she smelt marijuana coming from the bathroom.
But the "marijuana" like smell didn't come from marijuana at all.
"A search was conducted," said School Resource Officer George Montes. "There was no marijuana found. We did find, after searching one of the students, a package which he said was K2."
K2 is made from a plant material coated with chemicals that mimic THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana.
"We started researching it a little more and talking to other students," said Montes. "And apparently it's a going thing. It's something the students do to get what they call a 'legal high.'"
But that legal high may soon be illegal.
The D.E.A. has already placed a ban on many of the ingredients contained in K2. But new products that claim to be "ban proof" and are labeled as incense are hitting the shelves -- and they are easily accessible to teens.
"You look at this product, it's being posed and passed on as incense," said Hobbs City Commissioner Jonathan Sena. "But on the front of this product, you have pictures of Al Pacino holding $100 bills. This is not incense. This is something that is trying to destroy our children and we have to fight that."
New Mexico and Texas are two states that are trying to ban K2 and similar substances before it becomes a real epidemic. But for now, officers can only go off what they know about the synthetic drugs.
But the "marijuana" like smell didn't come from marijuana at all.
"A search was conducted," said School Resource Officer George Montes. "There was no marijuana found. We did find, after searching one of the students, a package which he said was K2."
K2 is made from a plant material coated with chemicals that mimic THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana.
"We started researching it a little more and talking to other students," said Montes. "And apparently it's a going thing. It's something the students do to get what they call a 'legal high.'"
But that legal high may soon be illegal.
The D.E.A. has already placed a ban on many of the ingredients contained in K2. But new products that claim to be "ban proof" and are labeled as incense are hitting the shelves -- and they are easily accessible to teens.
"You look at this product, it's being posed and passed on as incense," said Hobbs City Commissioner Jonathan Sena. "But on the front of this product, you have pictures of Al Pacino holding $100 bills. This is not incense. This is something that is trying to destroy our children and we have to fight that."
New Mexico and Texas are two states that are trying to ban K2 and similar substances before it becomes a real epidemic. But for now, officers can only go off what they know about the synthetic drugs.
