Synthetic marijuana claimed lives of 15 people in the first half of 2015, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rise in phone calls received by poison control centers related to use of the drugs since January across the country accounted for 229%.

Psychoactive chemicals or a combination of chemicals that are sprayed onto plant material are used to make synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana comes under the category of designer drugs and it is smoked or eaten to get a high. Synthetic marijuana is designed to simulate the effects of THC, the compound naturally found in marijuana.

Many consumers are not aware about the chemical compounds present in them, giving rise to toxicity and bad health effects. It is really concerning that synthetic marijuana is becoming more and more popular everyday among teens and young adults despite the evident dangers.

"A lot of these products are marketed as natural and safe and that could be the appeal. A lot of these products avoid illegality by changing chemical compounds and packaging the drug as 'not for human consumption", said Royal Law, an epidemiologist with CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, told CBS News.

Law said it is the need of the hour to increase awareness about the use of synthetic drug. Public must know that they need to stay away from these products as these can cause serious harm to their health. People using these products don't know what is actually used to make synthetic marijuana, thereby putting their health at serious risk.