Dabs Are The New Drug Addiction Worry In Placer County
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — A new form of marijuana considered highly addictive is on the rise among teens in the area.
Placer County officials say dabs provide an easy form of drug abuse that's easy to hide from parents. They're created by stuffing marijuana trimmings into a metal or plastic pipe, then forcing butane into the pipe. The flammable liquid then extracts a highly concentrated form of tetrahydrocannabinol into the lungs.
"Once we hear or know that they're using dabs we know that we're dealing with a very serious problem," said Nancy Tayor with the nonprofit Community Recovery Resources.
The group used to service two to three teens a month, but that's exploded to an average of 20 a month. One reason—dabs are highly addictive.
"One of the main reason kids go to emergency rooms over drug use is because of dabs," she said. "It actually becomes sort of an hallucinogenic that can trigger psychotic episodes."
It's also a highly flammable combination.
"It's very dangerous to make dabs. You're using flames and you're doing it in secret so you're in an enclosed space," she said.
It's also hard for parents to detect.
"It has no smell to it so kids can get away with using it," she said.
She warns parents should watch out for drastic changes in behavior.
"Failure at school, quitting sports, quitting recreational activities, grades going down," she said.
