Benzo Fury is a colorless stimulant that contains 5-APB or 6-APB compounds. It is sold in pellet or powder form via the Internet, and typically labelled “not for human consumption,” “plant food,” “bath salts,” or “research drug.”

Last month, a study of Benzo Fury was presented at a British Neuroscience Association conference in which experts say the active ingredient of the substance acts on the brain like both a stimulant and a hallucinogen — a combination that can make the drug dangerous to users.

“We have found that 5-APB behaves a little like amphetamine – that is, like a stimulant with addictive potential – and a bit like a hallucinogen, acting via serotonin receptors. This kind of mixed properties can be found in some illegal ‘designer’ drugs,” the presenting author, Dr. Jolanta Opacka-Juffry, said in a news release.

Dr. Opacka-Juffry  is a principal lecturer in neuroscience and director of the health sciences research centre at the University of Roehampton. The co-author of the research is Dr. Colin Davidson, a senior lecturer in neuropharmacology and expert in drugs of addiction at St George’s University of London.

Benzo Fury is now considered one of the most popular “legal highs” in the United Kingdom, and it’s also sold in the United States. Both Dr. Opacka-Juffry   and Dr. Davidson recommend further studies on the long-term effects of Benzo Fury because at this point no one really knows what the drug can do to users.

Dr. Opacka-Juffry, however,  cautioned that it’s “in the combination of these stimulant and hallucinogenic properties that the greatest danger lies.”

Historically, the most popular synthetic cannabinoids are JWH-018 and JWH-073. They were two of the first five synthetic substances that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officially banned on March 1, 2011. In reality, though, there are over a hundred synthetic cannabinoids available for abuse.

Teenagers are widely known as the top users of synthetic marijuana and bath salts. They typically purchase the products from gasoline stations, smokeshops, convenience stores, and the Internet. Even though public health officials have issued warning on the dangers of synthetic drugs, many teens continue to use the products to experience the same “high” they can get from real cannabis.

Currently, more than 40 U.S. states have banned synthetic marijuana and bath salts. But what manufacturers are doing is when a governing body makes certain synthetic compounds illegal they will make similar products using synthetic chemicals that are not yet banned. This way they continue doing business without going to jail. It is for this same reason that many street names began to emerge in the recent years to cover up synthetic drugs sold across states.

Adding difficulty in combating synthetic drug use is the fact that the substance isn’t easily detected in standard drug tests. So if you’re a parent and you want to know whether your child is using synthetic marijuana, you’d have to use specialized drug tests to give yourself some peace of mind.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, found that synthetic marijuana use may cause acute kidney damage.

A total of 16 people, aged 15-33, visited emergency departments with the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and abdominal or back pain.  The reported cases came from Wyoming (4), Oregon (6), New York (2), Oklahoma (2), Rhode Island (1), and Kansas (1). All patients were subsequently hospitalized, five required hemodialysis — a treatment to remove waste products from the blood — and four patients received corticosteroids.

According to the report, none of the patients had preexisting renal dysfunction or use of medication that might have caused renal problems, but toxicology analysis indicated they had all used synthetic cannabinoid products.

Emerging in the U.S. in 2009, synthetic marijuana is marketed in various names, including “K2″ and “Spice.” They are packaged in colorful wrappers to entice teens, young adults, and first-time drug users. Although the products are often labeled “not for human consumption” or “incense,” health professionals and legal authorities are keenly aware that these products are smoked like marijuana. So far, more than 40 U.S. states have legislatively banned synthetic cannabinoids.

Although no schedule has yet been confirmed, Merritt’s invitation came after a TV reported about a teenager who was hospitalized for using a synthetic drug which was allegedly purchased from an Indianapolis gas station, the Courierpress.com reports.

In his request letter, Merritt urges state officials that it’s high time “to let synthetic drug makers, retailers and users know that it must stop and will stop.”

Earlier this year, lawmakers have passed a legislation designed to crack down on retailers that sell illegal synthetic drugs, such as bath salts and spice. In addition, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced last month they were collaborating to take those drugs off store shelves.

“The legislature has spoken twice now with two separate laws empowering law enforcement with the tools to identify and crack down on the manufacturers, distributors and retailers providing synthetic drugs,” Merritt wrote in a letter requesting the meeting.

Merritt added he wants to ensure that the police and other state officials are “aggressively pursuing new ideas to fight these synthetic drugs still plaguing Indiana communities.”

The senator also took a stand on the case of the 17-year-old girl who was admitted to the hospital after using synthetic drug.

“If the pending investigation finds this Indianapolis gas station sold the girl synthetic drugs, I’m absolutely calling for its retail license to be suspended,” Merritt said. “They’ve had formal notice of the outlawed substances and the penalties for selling them.”

The Board of Supervisors temporarily approved an ordinance declaring synthetic drugs a public nuisance and making stores that sell them face civil abatement actions, the Fox5sandiego.com reports.

County officials admit that San Diego teenagers have not been spared by the dangers of synthetic drugs. Local grocery stores and supermarkets are selling a lot of these products which are often marketed “not for human consumption.” What’s more alarming is that teenagers who use them do not have the slightest idea on what the drugs can do.

“We have seen an increase in the use among our children. It’s being marketed to them in a way that they don’t quite understand and the types of behavior we see are violent. They are psychotic and they are something that none of these teenagers really can anticipate,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

The ordinance, to be voted on April 3, would also make it a public nuisance to possess the products when it injuriously affects the heath, safety, welfare or comfortable enjoyment of life or property of someone other than the person in possession.

In addition to the ordinance, the board also voted 5-0 to support Assembly Bill 2420 aimed at outlawing the products.

“Combining these two measures will put San Diego County at the forefront of the efforts to combat what is a growing and dangerous problem facing our society,’” said County Supervisor Greg Cox.

Leading the discussion is Linda Lewaniak, director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, who explained that fake marijuana is often marketed as “herbal incense” and is sold in colorful, stylish packages that appeal to teenagers.

During the session, coordinated by the Barrington Community Drug Prevention Coalition, Lewaniak also tackled synthetic stimulants, particularly mephedrone, which can be sold under the guise of “bath salts” or “plant fertilizer.” She enumerated the side effects of mephedrone, such as euphoria, sociability, and stimulation. She noted that the effects of  the drug can drastically vary from the first to second time of use, and an individual may experience paranoia, anxiety, insomnia and psychosis.

In July, an ordinance was passed in Barrington that prohibits sale or possession of products containing the synthetic drugs “bath salts” and “K2/Spice.” The ordinance allows police officers to inspect convenience stores and gas stations suspected of selling synthetic drugs.

Lewaniak believes that the use of synthetic drugs by teenager could decrease once teenagers realize the harrowing effects of the drugs.

The Barrington Community Drug Prevention Coalition has scheduled additional discussions with area parents at the high school on other teen issues, including parent and child communication (Oct. 24), binge drinking (Nov. 28), and stress and mental health (Dec. 12).

2C-I, also known as Smiles, recently made its way to some states in the US and already claimed the lives of two teenage boys in North Dakota. According to reports, the drug’s effects have been called a combination of MDMA and LSD, only far more potent. Overdoses of the drug have also been reported in Indiana and Minnesota. Additionally, detectives investigating the death of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star Johnny Lewis believed he may have been under the influence of ‘Smiles.’

But what kind of drug is 2C-I or ‘Smiles’?

A feature on NBCNews.com says ‘Smiles’ is part of a new wave of synthetic drug with a chemical name 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethylamine. It is known by drug agents and chemists as 2C-I, part of a closely-related family of “2C” drugs.

Smiles can be taken as small tablets, on pieces of blotter paper, or in powder form — often mixed with something else, like chocolate. Like LSD, the effects of the drug can last up to eight hours. But because the drug’s impact doesn’t appear immediately, users end up taking more to get the desired high, to the point of risking overdose.

In July, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classified 2CI a Schedule 1 controlled substance. However, trying to curtail the drug and keeping up to date with designer synthetics remain a tough challenge due to the “many emerging chemicals” that drug manufacturers are using. It also doesn’t help that ‘Smiles’ is undetected in standard drug tests, thereby, causing more high school students, college-age individuals, and young adults to experiment on it.

2-CI overdoses are said to cause seizures, kidney failure, and fatally high blood pressure.

A Yahoo! Shine report says that a derivative of 2C-I, called 25b-Nbome, was linked to multiple overdoses in young people in Perth, Australia.

A Perth police office said “Overdose on these drugs is a reality… and can obviously result in dire consequences.”

MPD officials noted that the passage of House Bill 481 earlier this year has been a crucial step in resolving the problem which mostly affects local high school students.

Lt. Josh Mitchell said, “It gave us some leverage in doing something. Before our hands were kind of tied. Gas stations were selling it, grocery stores. We knew it was bad, we knew what the research was.”

In April, House Bill 481, also known as Synthetic Drug Bill, was signed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear. It bans entire classifications of synthetic drugs and allows law enforcement to use the state’s forfeiture laws against retailers who sell synthetic drugs.

According to Mitchell, in only a matter of months since HB 481 was passed, synthetic drugs in Madisonville are no longer as prevalent. Two local stores busted for selling the drugs have since shut down.

Mitchell added that the bill has made people become more aware of the health risks associated with synthetic drug use.

“You never know what you’re going to get in a package of them, so if you use it four, five, six times in a couple months you might not have any effects and then that one package you’re in the emergency room in ICU,” Mitchell noted.

MPD officials affirm they will continue to fight the sale of synthetic drugs on the streets and said that tips coming from the public will be instrumental in curtailing such drug activity.

State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced on Thursday that the number of reported incidents involving the two drugs has dropped significantly.

“Before we took action to ban these dangerous drugs in New Jersey, they were sold as a so-called ‘legal high’ by shady retailers with no regard for their catastrophic side effects,” Chiesa said in a press release. “Today it is unambiguously clear that, here in New Jersey, synthetic marijuana and ‘bath salts’ are just as illegal as cocaine or heroin. Thankfully, the numbers demonstrate that our bans on these drugs are working.”

New Jersey, on the first quarter of this year, imposed a ban on synthetic drugs — making the possession, sale and manufacture of synthetic marijuana and synthetic stimulants “bath salts” punishable by three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Less than a year of implementing the initiative, the State Police Office of Forensic Science reported a 77 percent drop in synthetic marijuana incidents. Furthermore, the Poison Control hotline reports that received calls related to synthetic marijuana exposure dropped by a third, while calls about exposure to bath salts declined by 66 percent.

Synthetic drugs have rapidly become an emerging threat to adolescents due to easy accessibility in convenience stores and gas stations. The use of synthetic marijuana and bath salts have been found to cause muscle cell break down, kidney failure, seizures, tremors, anxiety, chest pain, convulsions, hallucinations, and heart palpitations.

Karen Simone, Pharm.D, director and chief toxicologist of the Northern New England Poison Center, explained that bath salts overdose cases “are just very difficult to manage.” She added, “Users are seeing things that aren’t there, they’re paranoid, they’re frightened, and sometimes they’re quite violent.”

According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future survey of youth drug-use trends, 11.4 percent of 12th graders used Spice or K2 in the past year, making synthetic drugs the second most widely abuse drugs by high-school seniors. The American Association of Poison Control Centers says the calls they received relating to human exposure to synthetic marijuana double from 2,906 calls in 2010 to 6,959 in 2011; whereas, the number of calls received related to bath salt exposure was 20 times higher from 2010 (304) to 2011 (6,138).

Sadly, parents are facing extreme pressure to be more involved with their children’s lives to keep them away from using synthetic drugs and other illicit substances. They are even more challenged by the fact that they have little control over what’s happening to their children’s lives the moment they step out of the home.

In schools, teachers and school administrators are urged to exercise the same vigilance to students. As a result, some school districts are enforcing random drug test to curb illegal drug use, as well as launching programs to educate students about the dangers of synthetic drugs.

Lately, a handful of research are being published by experts to step up education and prevention campaigns that will pave the way to combating the problem.

In the hope to raise public awareness on the issue of substance abuse, TestCountry designed an ebook that will help parents and teachers address the problem of synthetic drug use. The book, which provides concrete steps to take in order to determine level of use in your teen and get them the help they need, was developed to be a resource on synthetic drugs. It also included some difficult questions on parenting a teen who uses drugs, and researches cited from a variety of credible resources.

A free download version of the Synthetic Drug Abuse: Guide for Teachers & Parents Book is available for a limited time only.