A dangerous drug that goes by many names is plaguing neighborhoods in the Bronx and with stores still selling it, worried community residents are fed up.
On Tuesday evening Community Board 7 and North Central Bronx Hospital hosted a forum dedicated to the awareness and gathering of resident input dealing with K2, being the first community board to host a forum on this subject in New York City.
Aldo Rafael Perez, founder of Northeast Bronx Dawah and community advocate, was the first one to inform Community Board 7 about K2 and spearheaded the idea of holding a forum to educate the whole community. “I have seen firsthand the dangers of K2 dependency. I have seen 12 year old children doing K2 and those getting off of K2 do so by switching to heroin.” said Mr. Perez.
Synthetic marijuana is commonly known as K2 but it also goes by some other names like: Spice, AK-47, Smacked, Green Giant, Wicked X, and is sometimes sold as incense, potpourri, or as ‘legal’ marijuana. The dangers of K2 is threefold due to it’s unpredictable chemical compound, ease of access in obtaining the drug, and the lack of knowledge about the drug or its effects within communities.
“At first we were seeing only a handful of K2 emergency room visits but then there was a sudden spike with an increase of 220 percent over the last year.” said Dr. Ernest Patti, Senior Attending Medicine Physician for St. Barnabas Hospital. Dr. Patti went on to explain that throughout all five boroughs, there was an increase of 125 visits in the month of April alone.
Symptoms of K2 usage can include agitation, anxiety, vomiting, nausea, seizures, tremors, paranoia, hallucinations, and violent behavior. While the chemical compound of the drug various widely, its effects are similar to those from phencyclidine (PCP) use. Generally K2 consists of dried, ground up plant leaves that are sprayed with hallucinogenic compounds like PCP.
A packet of K2 goes for $3-$10 and has been found at bodegas throughout the Bronx and New York City.
Representatives were present from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Sheriff’s Office, the Attorney General’s office, and Councilman Ritchie Torres office. Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Councilman Andrew Cohen, and Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson along with Inspector Nilda Hofmann from the 52nd Precinct and Dr. Ernest Patti from St. Barnabas Hospital, were there to answer questions.
Many attendees asked questions pertaining to the symptoms of K2, how to education young children about drugs, and the demographics of K2 use. At the same time, community members expressed frustration at the lack of information within the neighborhood about K2 with one member citing that she only knew about the forum through word of mouth from neighbors.
Synthetic marijuana has been illegal since 2012 but the law has been difficult to enforce because manufacturing and selling or possessing the drug is only a violation. “Owners of bodegas selling K2 or those using it are being charged with only violations, which is the equivalent of jumping a turnstile or urinating in public.” said a representative for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office, and the Department of Health concluded that they are working with other city departments for an increase of enforcement as well as harsher penalties in order to stop stores from selling the drug.
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