Drug-related offences, overdoses surge in US from 'fake weed'

Washington

IT goes by many names - K2, Spice, Bizarro, Scooby Snax, Kryp2nite and Stoopid, to name but a few - and it's setting off alarm bells across the United States.

Synthetic marijuana is being cited by police and public health officials for a dramatic surge in potentially lethal overdoses and drug-related offences nationwide.

Imported primarily from China, it's an inexpensive chameleon substance, its synthesised chemical ingredients forever being tweaked by underground labs keeping one step ahead of law enforcement.

"We're seeing it pop up all around the country," acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Ch…