'Fake weed' imported from China which turns users into 'zombies' triggers US-wide alarm
Police worried by dramatic surge in overdoses of the potentially lethal synthetic 'fake weed'
It goes by many names - K2, Spice, Bizarro, Scooby Snax, Kryp2nite and Stoopid, to name but a few - and it is setting off alarm bells across the United States.
Imported primarily from China, synthetic marijuana is being cited by police and public health officials for a dramatic surge in potentially lethal overdoses and drug-related offences nationwide.
It is an inexpensive chameleon substance and its synthesized chemical ingredients are forever being tweaked by underground labs keeping one step ahead of law enforcement.
"We're seeing it pop up all around the country," acting Drug Enforcement Administration chief Chuck Rosenberg said. "The dosage amounts vary. The chemicals vary. You and I could buy and use the same packet and have vastly different reactions to it."
So far this year, poison control centres across the United States have taken more than 5,200 calls specific to "fake weed". That's more than the 3,680 calls they got in all of last year and the 2,668 calls handled in 2013, the American Association of Poison Control Centres said.