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A synthetic derivative of cannabis, Buddha blue is a drug that circulates in schools. Far from being risk-free, it can on the contrary quickly lead to hospitalization. The explanations of Dr Philippe Arvers, addictologist and tobacco specialist in Grenoble.
On April 4, a high school student from the city of Tarbes had to be hospitalized due to consumption of Buddha Blue. According to our colleagues from the voice of the Norththe principal of a high school in the department wrote a letter to the parents of students to alert them to this substance after several illnesses that had occurred in his establishment.
A more discreet drug to consume
Called Buddha blue, PTC for “fart your skull” or even K2, the substance in question is the molecule 5F-AKB-48 that the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) identified almost ten years ago, in 2013. This drug, like other synthetic cannabinoids, is on the rise with adolescents and young adults in France, like many other synthetic drugs.
Odorless and colorless, the consumption of Buddha blue is less noticeable than that of cannabis. It can be taken in the form of powder or liquid, to be vaped in an electronic cigarette, for example, or in resins.
Intense and dangerous symptoms
The effects of Buddha blue are very important on the organism. According to Dr Philippe Arvers, addictologist, it is because of the “very important fixation on the canabinoid receptors of the organism”. The symptoms are therefore stronger and can be more dangerous for users.
The consumption of Buddha blue can lead to headaches, dizziness, respiratory distress, tachycardia, or even paralysis. On the psychological level also its effects are devastating, with the possibility of having attacks of paranoia or hallucinations.
“The effects will be greater the more exposure to the substance is repeated, but there may be effects from the first dose, which can go as far as hospitalization or even coma. adds the specialist.
Consult a GP online
“Young people who take these kinds of products are not aware of the dangers to which they are exposed” says Dr. Arvers. “These synthetic products derived from cannabis are however highly toxic“. For the doctor, dialogue must take precedence, because it is difficult to know what exactly a teenager or young adult consumes. He therefore advises parents to discuss these subjects, by finding out about them beforehand and to inform her child about the consequences of these substances on health.