There is a new warning from health experts on a popular drug called "K2," that is being smuggled in from across the border.
Some of the teens who have only used it once will never be the same.
Emily Bauer was a typical 16-year-old Cypress, Texas girl experimenting with blue hair and a piercing in her nose but what she thought was just something else to try, almost killed her.
Emily is now confined to a wheel chair, struggling to feed herself and has lost 70 percent of her brain function.
It is reportedly the result of just one experiment with the synthetic drug "K2."
Dr. Joy Alonzo from the Texas A & M Health Science Center says three teen boys have had heart attacks from smoking the drug this year alone.
"They were never meant to be used in humans. They've never been tested in humans," said Dr. Alonzo.
Emily ended up on life support from using "Kush" and "Klimax."
"This stuff can kill them or cause impairment that's going to change everything," said Alonzo.
According to Alonzo this designer drug is 10 to 800 times more potent than natural marijuana.
Symptoms can include hallucinations, seizures that could be permanent and even death.
It is easier to buy than cigarettes.
Even gas stations carry it, disguised as potpourri.
"We really don't know how to treat this. There's no protocol in place because this is just a brand new problem," said Alonzo.
It is a problem that Emily and her family face every day.
She is making some progress.
On Thursday, a procedure was done to remove her feeding tube but she may never be the same.
"The Emily that they knew is gone," said Alonzo.
Her message to parents: talk to you kids about the risks of a cheap high.
It says on the package "not for human consumption."
In 2011, almost one in every nine high school seniors reported using synthetic marijuana.
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