Marijuana is a popular substance in the U.S., and its popularity continues to rise as many states legalize it. Using the substance responsibly is okay, but people can abuse the plant. Granite Recovery Centers can help people fight a marijuana substance use disorder. Fighting this disorder is never easy, but our evidence-based treatment programs take our patients a long way.
It’s important to point out that marijuana substance use disorder isn’t the only thing we’ve seen at Granite Recovery Centers. We’ve also seen substance use disorders linked to laced marijuana concoctions.
Rise of Laced Marijuana
Laced marijuana has been popular for a long time. Perhaps people desire laced products because marijuana is becoming normalized in society. These people may want something with a bit of a kick; they could be seeking a stronger reaction.
Most of the time, marijuana is mixed with other psychoactive substances to offer a stronger marijuana effect. You should know that marijuana could be mixed with substances that don’t offer any positive benefits to the user. Sometimes, the additive is simply contamination.
Lead and Heavy Metals
High amounts of lead and heavy metals can be in marijuana. As marijuana grew in popularity, so did the need to find a stronger strand. Back in the 1970s, marijuana’s potency was relatively predictable. There were no strong strands available.
Every so often, quality varied, but that’s no longer the case today. Some of the strands available today are much stronger than those in earlier years. As people attempted to grow something stronger, they began to contaminate the soil with harmful compounds like butane. However, contaminants already in the soil have been getting into the marijuana, and these contaminants include heavy metals like lead.
Glass
Something scary that is sometimes found in marijuana is glass. This material isn’t something anyone wants in the substance, but altered marijuana may contain some glass. This can be incredibly dangerous since marijuana is often smoked and consumed in edibles.
A person should get marijuana from a trustworthy source, and he or she should inspect the substance before using it; however, being this vigilant gets more difficult when someone develops a marijuana substance use disorder.
At this point, people aren’t thinking about being careful but rather are considering how to get the high they need. If you want to test the marijuana, you could rub it against a CD or a DVD. Scratches indicate that glass is present.
Fungi and Bacteria
Fungi and bacteria can be in marijuana. This combination might resolve as states continue to legalize marijuana. With the legalization of marijuana, there will be more regulations and rules instated.
For a while, when the market was not regulated, it was easy to find fungi and bacteria. Many marijuana sellers didn’t care about testing their supplies; all they cared about was selling the product and moving on.
Legalization means standards and an investment in technology that could help ensure that marijuana doesn’t contain these things. Fungi and bacteria can even be in legal marijuana, so it’s clear that the system is not perfect yet. Thankfully, things are moving in the right direction.
PCP
So far, we’ve been talking about the contaminants in marijuana that aren’t supposed to be there, but several contaminants are purposely added, including PCP. PCP is a hallucinogenic substance, so it’s easy to see why someone would mix marijuana with it. The point is to create a more intense experience.
We’ve known about PCP for a long time; the substance can take a hold of someone’s life, much like marijuana. A person’s life could derail with either of these substances, so imagine what both could do to a person. Part of the reason we ensure that our staff at Granite Recovery Centers is ready for your call is that we know how damaging a substance use disorder can be. We can help if you give us a chance.
The mix of marijuana and PCP is sometimes called dusted weed, fry, and superweed, but there are several other names for it. The chances of developing substance use disorder are higher if you mix marijuana with PCP. Our substance use disorder treatment program can help, but the first step is always yours.
Heroin
Heroin is another substance that marijuana is sometimes laced with. This is a powerful substance with which many individuals develop a substance use disorder. People who use this type of marijuana usually feel extremely relaxed and maybe even lethargic.
Heroin offers a pleasing effect, which is one reason people try it and continue to use it until it destroys their lives. The problem is that this substance is also pretty dangerous. People can start to feel like they can’t breathe, and their heart rates could drop dangerously low.
The dangers that this substance presents only get worse if heroin is used excessively. Marijuana is easily abused, so the chances that someone uses this blend too much is high, too. We’ve seen the effects of heroin on people and their families, so we know what we’re dealing with. Don’t hesitate to give us a call to see how we can help you.
Embalming Fluid
It might seem strange that marijuana is laced with embalming fluid, but it can be. People are getting high off the fluid that keeps the corpses from rotting.
The reason this substance is gaining traction among users is that it seems to create a strong psychoactive effect on the user. There’s no doubt that using this kind of marijuana puts you at risk of serious issues. Those chemicals aren’t meant for the living but for the dead.
Serious neurological damage or death could happen to anyone who uses this mixture. People might think the experience is positive, but they are in danger whenever they try this blend.
Cocaine
Cocaine is another lacing substance. It can include crack, which is a more affordable form of cocaine. The reason people lace marijuana with this substance is to create a strange blend of relaxing and stimulating feelings.
Marijuana could be laced with cocaine, but it usually isn’t. Buyers mix the substances to see what happens. Cocaine is powerful and could be quite dangerous. Combining the two could lead to serious issues like paranoia and seizures, just to name a few effects.
People can easily develop a dependence on cocaine, which makes this blend scary. Getting clean from cocaine use is hard. We’ve helped patients fight cocaine substance abuse. The withdrawal symptoms can get severe, but we’re here to assist, to offer support, and to give you the strength you need to overcome a substance use disorder.
LSD
LSD is a hallucinogenic, and it’s a potent substance. The chances of developing a substance use disorder are high when you mix LSD and marijuana. People who use this substance with marijuana usually use a very small amount because a little goes a long way.
Some people dab a small amount on their lips before they start smoking marijuana, which is more than enough. Most of the time, the experience feels good to the user, which could be one reason people decide to mix LSD with marijuana. The mixture could lead to effects that last up to 12 hours.
Twelve hours of effects is a long time and is one of the main reasons that people have a hard time giving it up. We’ve helped many people fight off a substance use disorder associated with LSD, and it’s not pretty. We’re happy to say that we know what to do to guide you back to a life you recognize where you’re back in control.
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine or crystal meth is a powerful substance that our team knows very well. This is sadly another substance that some people mix with marijuana to create a more powerful experience.
As people use marijuana and their bodies become accustomed to it, people start to seek bigger things. At some point, the body develops a resistance to a substance. When this happens, a person needs to have bigger dosages of a particular substance.
One reason people start to blend things like marijuana and crystal meth is they’re seeking that feeling they can’t get from using just one substance. You could experience extremely euphoric feelings, or you could end up dealing with uncontrollable delusions or even seizures.
Ketamine
Ketamine is sometimes in marijuana. This particular substance is more of a stimulant. Sometimes, people experience a jolt when they use ketamine, but there are times when people experience a disconnection from themselves.
They might feel detached from their bodies. It’s a scary feeling that might intensify if ketamine is used with marijuana. Sometimes, ketamine can cause a person to overheat or to deal with chronic dehydration. Both of these things could lead to even more serious complications, not to mention a serious substance use disorder.
We know how easily people can fall victim to ketamine, even if they don’t think they use it often enough to develop this problem. Granite Recovery Centers is here to facilitate your fight against substance use disorder, no matter what form that takes.
Laundry Detergent
Sometimes, marijuana could develop a smell, especially if the substance is old. The marijuana smell takes some getting used to, which is part of the reason that people lace marijuana with detergent.
What this mixture does is trick others into thinking that the marijuana they’re selling is high quality. This usually works and tricks the buyer. Some people add laundry detergent just to spike the prices because it does smell like top-notch marijuana once it’s laced. The overall appearance of marijuana improves as well.
The problem is that no one should be ingesting laundry detergent. Every detergent’s warning label says that consuming it could be quite serious. A person could get very sick; in fact, you could potentially die from using laundry detergent-laced marijuana.
Marijuana is a powerful substance. Yes, it’s getting legalized everywhere, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. It’s the kind of substance that a person could easily use too much of and become dependent on.
We know what it could do to a person and the kind of harm it could do to your life. We are just talking about marijuana on its own; when it’s laced with something else, the addiction and the effects can get much worse. There’s not much you can do about marijuana contamination once you’ve bought it. That’s why you should purchase the plant from companies that only offer high-quality products.
It’s important to stay away from marijuana that you aren’t sure about. If you’ve already been lacing your marijuana or if a loved one is doing it, we encourage you to give us a call.
Allow Granite Recovery Centers to explain what we do here and how we can help you. Everyone needs a helping hand, and a person suffering from substance use disorder needs some help.
