Eight North Carolina prisoners have received felony charges after they were accused of having synthetic marijuana in their possession. The prisoners who were charged ranged in age from 27 years old to 44 years old.
An investigation was opened at the Tyrrell Prison Work Farm after paramedics responded to several possible drug overdoses. It was believed that the drug the inmates overdosed on was K-2, also known as spice or synthetic marijuana. Four of the accused inmates were charged with marijuana possession. One was charged with Suboxone possession. The remaining three inmates were charged with possession of K-2 synthetic cannabinoids.
K-2 is comprised of dried plant material and other herbs that are mixed into synthetic materials. The drug can potentially be 100 times stronger than natural THC found in cannabis. In some, the side effects can range from severe anxiety, seizures, vomiting, high blood pressure and heart attack. Others may suffer hallucinations and paranoia.
While drug cases are always taken seriously by law enforcement agencies and the court, there are certain cases where the legal consequences may be more severe than others. For example, the type of drug and the amount of the drug can have an impact on the severity of the charge and the associated consequences, which can include a jail sentence, fines and rehabilitation. A criminal law attorney may mount a strong defense against the drug charges, especially if the evidence is weak or the accused person’s rights were violated during the investigation. Depending on the evidence against the accused person, the attorney may argue that any drugs that were found did not belong to the person or they were placed there in order to get the person into trouble.
Source: WAVY, “8 North Carolina prisoners arrested in drug bust”, June 21, 2017
