Since synthetic marijuana or spice/K2, as it is commonly known, went on sale in the early 2000’s, it was widely understood to react the same to the body as its natural counterpart. Certainly, this was not the case. As time went on, and the chemical compounds that create the effects began getting banned. The ban forced chemists and would-be chemists, to concoct compounds that were, and are negatively impacting to the body, and to the brain. The stuff is simply no good for anyone. Although it was once sold openly, in corner stores, head shops, and gas stations, it has since been banned in all 50 states, it does not stop NFL players from smoking the illegal substance. Spice has not been placed on the NFL’s list of banned substances, so players partake of it with minimal worry. As USA Today’s A.J. Perez points out below, as the substance is still illegal an NFL player can still find themselves in the NFL doghouse over this synthetic compound.
“While the drugs aren’t on the banned list under the league’s substance abuse policy, a program run jointly with the NFLPA, a player can still be suspended is if he’s charged with possessing, using or trafficking the chemicals. That’s what happened to Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, who was suspended for the first game of the 2015 season. He was arrested in May 2014 for felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in Alabama, although he pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Kellen Winslow, then a tight end with the New York Jets, was arrested in New Jersey in November 2013 for possession of synthetic pot.”- A.J. Perez
You can find more on this story here: Synthetic marijuana remains a problem for NFL
