Marijuana is illegal. In all but one country in the entire world, this statement is fact. And to curve this nation’s seemingly increasing substance abuse, The System is cracking down.

More arrests. More convictions. More citations. More drug tests. More rehabilitation.

So many walls are being built up to end the use of marijuana. But human nature prevails anyway. Telling us “no” has only sparked a stronger desire for it. Especially in our youth. Despite the law, schools, and parents taking major precautions in trying to stop kids from using the illegal substance, theyhave found a way to get around The System.

Legal Weed.

“Black outs.” “Hallucinations.” “Heavy breathing.” “Sudden aggression.” “Bad headaches.” “Dizziness.”

These are all things that synthetic marijuana users have personally experienced after consumption. Most that have actually used the drug would agree that the high they feel is one they would rather not re-live. Many actually admit that the only reason they continue to smoke the substance is because they are trying to avoid failing a drug test.

So why not just quit smoking dope?

Well, there’s that hunger. It seems that people who would otherwise smoke marijuana use it because they can’t just quit getting high altogether. It’s not enjoyable. It’s not safe. Yet, kids everywhere are using it more and more.

“I’ve noticed a lot of people my age start to smoke it over the past couple years. It was like, one day it showed up, and then it was everywhere,” senior Katie Harland said.

Which brings up one big question; can users become addicted? Well, a major problem with all of these substances is that since they are so new, there haven’t been many studies done on the long-term effects on a person’s health. However, there is no doubt that they are very harmful. In 2010 alone, poison control lines across the United States received over 750 calls concerning life-threatening symptoms caused by an array of these synthetic marijuana products.

For ages, there has been an ongoing argument on the negative effects of marijuana. And although many agree that it is very harmful to ones’ health, let it be noted that in marijuana’s entire ancient history there has been no reported deaths—meaning not even one—that were directly related to its use alone. (Traffic accidents are another matter.)

However, its man-made close cousin has already been linked to several deaths of teenagers just in the past two years. So how similar can the two really be?

This really is no secret, though. Government officials, both local and national, are working towards making it illegal and here in Tomball the ban as already been accomplished. As of now, if a person is pulled over with any brand of it, they would be arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

That’s no joke. That means probation, fines, lawyer fees.Just as if they were caught with marijuana itself.

And according to the Army Times, just last Tuesday the DEA put an official ban on the chemicals used to make “K2” and “Spice”. This may not completely take fake pot off the market, but it does make it seem like that day will come soon enough. Until then, local governments are making laws against possession.

But even since Tomball passed its ordinance just a mere three months ago, it doesn’t seem to be stopping people from getting it. Even though it is illegal in Tomball, many providers in the surrounding Houston areas are still legally allowed to carry it.

“Passing a law hasn’t really done anything. It’s still widely available and kids still want to use it,” senior Sam Boosey said.

As long as they can still pass a drug test, it’s worth the risk to them.

So what happens when these kids get a little bit older and don’t have to worry about their parents and their schools drug testing them? Well, they’d probably just turn back to the real thing. That’s the thing with this substance. Its sole purpose is to actually replace marijuana. When it was first created, scientists were literally striving to create a substance that mimicked what was already here. From day one, it has just been a way to beat The System.

Since marijuana was first prohibited, the nation has fought a constant battle over whether the substance should gain legalization. So far, prohibition supporters have held on to a tight victory. But the fight has yet to see an end. And as that fight continues, so does people’s hunger to get high. They will stop at nothing to get it. Unfortunately, legal weed does the job. But the risks of these fake substances aren’t worth getting around The System.

Just because it can’t be detected in a drug test today, doesn’t mean there won’t be a day when it can.  And since avoiding that ‘fail’ seems to be the one thing keeping people hanging on to these dangerous substances, its very likely for that day to come sooner rather than later.