Florida officials want to ban so-called "legal weed," packs of herbs treated with chemicals that mimic the high of marijuana and have sent a rising number of smokers to emergency rooms.
The herbs are sold as incense in head shops and hookah bars under brand names such as K2 and Spice. They've become popular in the past year among teens and young adults who want legal substitutes for pot.
Doctors said some legal weed smokers have been stricken by short-lived yet potentially serious side effects, such as racing heartbeat, high blood pressure, agitation, panic attacks, severe vomiting and occasionally fevers as high as 106.
"We've seen a couple really bad things," said Richard Weisman, director of the Florida Poison Information Center at the University of Miami. "If you had asked about this at this time last year, we wouldn't have known what you were talking about."
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-legal-weed-20100915,0,3843416.story