And according to officials, they can be very dangerous and cause unpredictable side effects for those who abuse them.

Katie Talbot, a prevention specialist with Community and Family Resources, said synthetic drugs are man-made and are known as synthetic cannabinoids.

“They’re generally marketed as being safe, but they’re not,” Talbot said.

Most synthetics look like potpourri and, according to Talbot, synthetics are generally smoked, often in an e-cigarette.

What makes it dangerous, however, is what’s in the drug.

“It goes on a conveyor belt and chemicals are just sprayed on it,” Talbot said. “It’s dried, but the scary thing with that is you could get a container of it or a package of it with very little chemical and have no reaction, or you could get a package of it and it’s saturated and you could have adverse reactions.”

Some of those reactions, Talbot said, include psychotic breaks and a condition called excited delirium.

She said it affects the hypothalamus, which is the part of the brain that regulates temperature.

“It heats it up so you cook from inside out,” she said. “It’s usually marked by severe aggressive behavior, severe attitude, behavior changes, profuse sweating.”

Talbot added that some who abuse synthetics even strip off their clothes since their body temperature gets too hot.

Effects from taking synthetics can be varied, including elevated moods and sudden mood swings, from being very relaxed to being out of control.

Talbot said they can also cause altered perceptions that are different than what’s actually there.

“There are symptoms of psychosis, where they have a break from reality, where they either hear, feel or see things that aren’t there,” she said. “There’s extreme paranoia, anxiety or confusion, and then there’s also rapid heart rate, violent behavior, suicidal thoughts.”

In addition, regular users of synthetics can also experience bad withdrawals, including anxiety, depression and irritability.

Sometimes, according to Talbot, people refer to synthetics as “zombie drugs,” since people who have abused synthetics have been known to go so far as eating human flesh.

And according to one law enforcement officer, the enforcement of laws of synthetics is extremely difficult because there is no regulation.

This law enforcement officer, a member of the Webster County Drug Task Force, cannot be identified publicly because of the undercover work they do for the task force.

What makes it difficult to regulate, according to the officer, is that manufacturers are constantly changing the chemical makeup.

“The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) is in charge of scheduling different compounds,” the officer said. “They can list compounds as an emergency scheduling. They can say this compound contains no ingredients that have no medical purpose and make it illegal.”

When that happens, the officer said, the manufacturers, which are generally overseas in countries such as China or India, will slightly alter the chemical makeup to the point where it’s not illegal.

“They’re constantly changing the formulas,” the officer said.

And while synthetics aren’t necessarily a problem in Fort Dodge, the officer said they do have a presence in town.

“They’re certainly here and they’re readily available,” the officer said. “I could tell you two to three different places right now where you could walk to from here and buy them.”

But the officer said drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana are more common than synthetics.

Roger Porter, assistant Fort Dodge police chief, said there have also been instances of people being taken to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center suffering from the effects of synthetics.

In one of those instances, Porter said the person nearly died, but doctors were able to save them.

Additionally, the officer said the name synthetic marijuana, which is sometimes used to describe the drugs, is technically an incorrect name.

The more correct name is synthetic cannabinoids.

“The compounds try to mimic the affects of marijuana,” the officer said. “It’s not marijuana per se.”

While marijuana and synthetics both serve the purpose of getting people high, the officer said they are made up of different compounds.

“What these chemicals do is mimic, to a certain extent, the same receptors in the body as well as the similar effects as to what marijuana is,” the officer said. “But it’s not really fake marijuana.”

As for treatment, Talbot said there are options available for those suffering from addiction to synthetics.

First, Talbot said addicts are given an evaluation. From there, CFR staff determine what level of treatment they need based on how severe the addiction is.

The options available are outpatient and inpatient.

“Outpatient can be up to 12 weeks,” she said. “Inpatient is 30 days in the facility and followed by outpatient. There’s different levels and after they’ve completed all treatment, they have the options of doing aftercare and that is stepping down levels.”

Aftercare doesn’t have as many requirements, but Talbot said it keeps them active and engaged in the treatment facility.

What makes synthetics particularly frightening, according to Talbot, is that they go by different names and they’re difficult, if not impossible, to regulate.

“There are hundreds of brand names and you can buy them online, at gas stations, novelty stores,” she said. “And it’s technically illegal to buy, sell, possess, but manufacturers take side steps by changing their formulas by one letter, one number.”

“It’s a scary thing.”