DEAR EDITOR:
As a resident, parent, and educator, I wanted the readers to be aware of a very dangerous product being sold right here in the local area. SYN, an herb being marketed as incense so it can be sold "legally," is actually being rolled and smoked because it strongly mimics the effects of marijuana.
Its side effects, however, can be worse. The use of "fake pot" spurred more than 3,500 calls to poison control centers throughout the U.S. since January of 2010. (American Association of Poison Control)
Several teenagers have died after smoking similar synthetic cannabinoids. David Rozga, 18, of Iowa, committed suicide last year after smoking the substance. He had graduated from high school one week earlier and was planning to attend college in the fall. No prior signs of depression were evident.
A 14-year-old in Missouri nearly jumped out of a fifth story window because of a bad trip experience. (Yes, 14 and available at a local convenient store!)
And Charlie Davel, 19, was killed after he fled police and went the wrong way on a highway just hours after smoking K2, the predecessor to SYN.
Parents and neighbors, this poison is right here in our own back yard and something needs to be done. Unfortunately as of now it is legal because as I said earlier it is marketed as incense. How can you help? In a word; boycott. If you enter a convenient store, a gas station, or any establishment that sells packets of SYN or similar products, tell the clerk you'll be back when it's gone and walk out! There are dozens of stores in the area that support family safety and values and would love your business.
Please consider one of my favorite quotes the next time you shop. "The only way for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing."
Carl Clark
Cortland