If you've watched the news lately, you've proabably heard the word "Spice" mentioned quite a bit. Spice (also known as Salvia, K2, Blaze, and REd X Dawn) is a synthetic cannaboid very similar to marijuana . . . and it's legal in the United States. What has employers and others worried however is the inability to detect the substance in standard drug tests and employee drug screenings, opening the door for employees to get high without detection. The Marine Corps, one of the largest employers in the nation, have buckled down on this trend and decided to build a specific drug test to detect the substance.
The article below (originally published in the MarineCorpsTimes) details the issue.
Taking a cue from the Air Force, the Marine Corps is developing a drug test that can detect the marijuana-like substance known as “spice,” officials say.
The service is working with researchers to develop urinalysis that can detect spice and similar illegal substances known as synthetic cannabinoids, said Capt. Patrick Boyce, a spokesman for Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The Air Force began using urine tests to screen for spice Feb. 22 and now other services are scrambling to follow suit.
Most standard drug tests until now did not test for spice — most likely contributing to the drug’s popularity within the military.
So far, Marine officials have no timeline to begin testing Marines, and it’s not immediately clear why they haven’t simply adopted the test administered by the Air Force. They were quick to note, however, that current policy prohibits use of “any drug used for the purpose of inducing excitement, intoxication or stupefaction,” Boyce said. Marines caught using these substances can be disciplined for violating the policy.
Currently, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System will test for spice’s chemical ingredients only during criminal investigations, Boyce said.
There is no predetermined punishment for violators, although possibilities include administrative counseling, non-judicial punishment, administrative discharge or prosecution, said Capt. Nick Mannweiler, a spokesman for Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“The Marine Corps has made it clear that use or possession of spice is unquestionably forbidden,” he said. “The spice issue boils down to a question of loyalty to your fellow Marines and to the Corps.”
While spice has become a catch-all term for synthetic pot, it’s only one of several brand names under which the drugs — typically marketed as an herbal substance or incense “not for human consumption” — are sold. Other brands such as K2, Blaze and Red X Dawn can be purchased off-base in gas stations and tobacco shops. The products contain organic leaves coated with chemicals that provide a marijuana-like high when smoked.
Its reported abuse in recent months by service members in every branch has captured the attention of senior leaders, who continue to sort out policies and procedures for dealing with offenders.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on March 1 announced a one-year ban on five chemicals used to concoct synthetic marijuana compounds, and designated them as Schedule I substances — the same category as LSD, marijuana, and cocaine — making possession or sale of spice illegal.
Federal officials announced plans for the emergency measure in November, amid increasing reports of bad reactions to the chemicals, including seizures, hallucinations and dependency.
“There’s a lot of heat on this topic,” said Ed Buice, a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, adding that his counterparts in the Air Force and Army recently met to “come up with some unified response because it’s a purple problem,” meaning militarywide.
“Everybody’s kind of ramping up now that the problem is right here in front of us. It makes a lot of sense to compare notes and strategies and be unified in our response instead of running all over the place,” he said.
The Air Force would not disclose details about its new screening. Today, however, the military can test for five compounds and the metabolites that the body produces after processing these compounds, said Army Col. Timothy Lyons, the top forensic toxicology expert for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.
Drug manufacturers have potentially hundreds of synthetic cannabinoids from which to choose, Lyons said, meaning testing for spice is “a lot more involved than testing for, say, cocaine,” he added.
The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System routinely tests new brands of spice to keep up with the changing ingredients. Because of the large number of synthetic cannabinoids, studies on the metabolic profile of the drugs are limited.