The effects of the synthetic drug Spice are evident in Kern County.
People who have been arrested while reportedly under the influence of the drug act strange, erratic, and sometimes violent: police say one man was seen waving a knife asking officers to kill him, and a woman fled from police while partially naked, then nearly attacked an officer with pruning shears.
It's packaged in bright wrapping, sometimes displaying cartoon characters that parents argue would appeal to children.
It's traditional form might look like marijuana to the untrained eye; it's dried plant material that's sprayed with chemicals and then smoked. It's also now being seen in liquid form and on gummy candies.
Although it was outlawed in the county last year, one smoke shop employee told 23 ABC that he thinks that all smoke shops in town still sell it under the table.
"The danger with Spice is that it's man-made," says Kern County Public Health Deputy Director Brynn Carrigan.
"It's made differently every time using different chemicals every time and using different amounts of chemicals sprayed onto the plant-like substance."
Link to Kern County Public Health's Spice website
The application process makes the drug's effects nearly unpredictable; one dose of Spice might cause severe drowsiness, while the next may cause aggressiveness.
It's this unpredictability that, according to one man who overcame a Spice addiction, makes the drug so lethal.
Perhaps most frightening is the fact that the long-term effects of Spice are not yet known; the drug is so new that there's no data.
"What we're going to see coming 10 or 20 years is going to be pretty horrendous," said Dr. Harjeet Brar, who often sees spice addicts coming into urgent care. He said that the drug contains unknown heavy metals and toxins that the users aren't educated on.
Beyond the effects to the user, the collateral damage of Spice use can be seen in families of those who have used.
"The hardest thing for a parent is to watch their children die in front of 'em," said Opal Cook.
Her son died of Spice overdose and was the first known Spice-related death in Kern County.
Connor Reid Eckhardt was 19-years-old when he took a hit of Spice; he had recently overcome a mild drug addiction and was offered Spice as an alternative to marijuana, the same way that an e-cigarette would be used instead of cigarettes.
Connor wasn't aware of what he was using, but it didn't matter.
"He had one puff, one hit of this. Right away he was not feeling great and went to sleep it off. Nobody checked on him and he never woke up," said his dad Devin Eckhardt.
Devin and his wife Veronica now travel the country campaigning against synthetic drugs, trying to raise awareness about the danger.
Devin recently spoke in front of Congress and the United Nations about synthetic drugs. You can learn more about their work below.
Link to the Eckhardt's website
Rachel Darrah is focused on saving her son from Spice; he's currently in rehab for the drug after Rachel said she had no choice but to have him arrested.
"I don't know anyone that's been able to get off without getting arrested," Darrah said.
"Yeah, to me it's just the Devil."
Darrah said that her son has dealt with drug addiction before, including a bout with heroin. However, she says that Spice might be the worst.
"This is the one that mostly took his soul."
