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Science and Tech

'Fake Marijuana' Skirts Laws

Jennifer Allen (left) and her mother, Patricia Allen, with a photo of Jennifer's son, Chris Allen, 19, who is in a mental hospital. They blame his mental health problems on his use of a product sold under names such as "Dead Man Walking," which he smoked.
Patrick Reddy
/
Kentucky Enquirer
Jennifer Allen (left) and her mother, Patricia Allen, with a photo of Jennifer's son, Chris Allen, 19, who is in a mental hospital. They blame his mental health problems on his use of a product sold under names such as "Dead Man Walking," which he smoked.

Some convenience stores, head shops, liquor stores and gas stations across Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati are selling what officials describe as "synthetic marijuana." If the mother and grandmother of 19-year-old Chris Allen can change that, they will. The young man they raised in Florence and Independence went on a two-day binge three weeks ago that led him into a Kentucky state psychiatric hospital with delusions and paranoia. The two are on a mission of informing parents how dangerous and deadly the stuff can be.

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