Forum Spotlights Fake Drugs with Real Dangers

More than 100 people attended on Wednesday the first in a series of substance abuse forums put on by the Poway Unified School District.

The first forum, held at Rancho Bernardo High School, featured the co-founders of PASS—People Against Spice Sales—who have been vocal all around the county about the dangers of synthetic drugs.

Spice, a synthetic marijuana, can cause a litany of problems, from hallucination to cardiac arrest. Bath salts, another popular synthetic drug that mimics the effects of amphetamines, can also cause hallucinations and violent episodes.

Both are now illegal to distribute but not to possess. Eliza Bodie Cardin, a mother of three and co-founder of PASS, first began a campaign against synthetic drugs after discovering that kids could purchase them at a deli near her children's school. William Perno, a former sheriff's deputy who partners with Cardin in PASS, is working to educate families and youth about the dangers of using these once-legal drugs.

Cardin and Perno have shared a copy of their PowerPoint presentation with Patch (attached to this article as a PDF) to help spread their message. 

Two more forums are scheduled in the district, which include Q&A sessions and the chance to see the drugs, and view news footage and television shows, such as Dr. Oz, where families talk about losing loved ones to synthetic drug use.

• Del Norte High School: Feb. 1, 6-7:30 p.m. in the theatre.
• Poway High School: Feb. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the Poway High PTSA.

For a list of symptoms and street names for the drugs see: