Troy Police: Teen Found 'Freaking Out' in Park After Smoking K2/Spice

A 15-year-old Troy girl was found screaming and "freaking out" in a park last Thursday afternoon after smoking K2/Spice, a synthetic substance marketed as an alternative to marijuana, according to spokesman Lt. Robert Redmond.

Two teenage boys who did not know the girl used her phone to call the girl's parents after they observed her screaming and behaving strangely at in Troy, according to a media release from the department. The girl's parents then called police, who met the family at the park.

“In this case, you have a 15-year-old girl who went to a park to smoke K2 and then freaked out because she started hallucinating," Redmond said. “It is a very powerful hallucinogen."

The girl eventually calmed down and was turned over to her parents, who declined medical treatment.

Redmond said the girl's friend, whom she would not identify, had purchased the Spice at a Dearborn gas station, though Redmond stressed that Spice/K2 is also available locally – and legally.

“It’s a major up-and-coming problem," he said. "A lot of local gas stations sell this stuff. There is a .”

Redmond said the best thing parents can do is first educate themselves, then educate their children on the dangers of Spice/K2.

Spice is also reportedly behind the weekend found uncooperative and speaking incoherently on his lawn and a 19-year-old Troy teen arrested for erratic driving early Monday morning.

Most notably, , 19, of Farmington Hills is believed to have been high on synthetic marijuana in April when he attacked his family, .

Spice is a form of synthetic marijuana that is commonly sold as incense, or potpourri. It was originally sold under the name K2, but legislation banned K2 in Michigan in October 2010. Since the ban, manufacturers are finding ways around the legislation by manufacturing variations of the banned substance, eliminating the chemicals that caused the original K2 to be banned.

According to an article in The Journal of School Safety, one in nine high school seniors has used synthetic marijuana in the past year.

Note: This story was updated at 2:15 p.m. with quotes and additional information from Lt. Robert Redmond.