Are K2, Spice Gold, and other herbal incense products addictive?
Apparently so. Last year, German researchers reported the case of a 20-year-old man who had been using the Spice Gold product daily for eight months. Not long after starting the product, the man found that he needed larger and larger doses to feel an effect. He quickly increased his use to 3 grams per day — 10 times the dose that produced the effects described by Auwarter. The man felt a continuous need for the product. He was unable to get it for a period of time and experienced unrest, drug craving, nightmares, sweating, nausea, tremor, headache, high blood pressure, and racing heartbeat. This went away when he again began using the product. Finally, the man was persuaded to stop using the product. But fearing a repeat of his earlier experience, he checked into a hospital. Sure enough, he again went through classic withdrawal symptoms that lasted a week. This clinical description fits with reports that Auwarter has received. He says that while classic drug dependence is rare among c
