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Paragould police are warning parents and community members about a new drug making the rounds. Scott Snyder with Paragould Police said the department has worked several cases involving poisonous potpourri, or as some call it “pope”. Snyder said while they haven’t seen any deaths yet, they’ve investigated several overdoses. “A lot of problems with as far as heart attacks, increase blood pressure, increase heart rate, and pulse rate,” Snyder said. “It’s not a safe alternative to marijuana, and that’s what it was originally marketed as.” Snyder said many people are purchasing it online. He said they’ve been called to the post office to intercept the deliveries. While it can be an online product, Snyder said some are making it right here at home. Snyder stresses that it’s not safe and is considered an illegally controlled substance that will not be tolerated.

Below is a chart showing the side effects of synthetic marijuana.