By Maria Cendejas

A new survey shows that approximately 1 in 9 high school seniors have gotten high in the past year on synthetic drugs, such as "K2" or "Spice"  second only to the number of teens who have used marijuana, according to USA Today.

The nation's most comprehensive survey of teenage drug use, found that 11.4% of the high school seniors has used synthetic substances, they are usually packed as potpourri or herbal incense which are sold in  any convenience stores, that mimic the effects of marijuana.

"It is astounding," said Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa. "I don't think they have any idea how dangerous these synthetic drugs are."

Latham co-sponsored a bill to prohibit 16 synthetic compounds that mimic marijuana and 15 synthetic hallucinogens, after a teen in Indiana shot himself after taking K2 in July 2010. Latham's bill passed a couple of weeks ago. A Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is awaiting action by the full Senate.

K2 and Spice became a problem in 2008, and it appears to be rising.

Poison control centers received double the calls in 2011 than in 2010 that had to do with the  synthetic drugs, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

People who smoke the chemical-coated herbs may experience euphoria. The common bad reactions are convulsions, anxiety attacks, dangerously elevated heart rates, vomiting, and suicidal thoughts.

In March the federal officials became so disturbed  that the Drug Enforcement Administration used its emergency powers to prohibit the substances. Already more than 40 states have passed the law.

"The next survey we do in spring 2012 will tell us a lot about how this ban has worked," said Lloyd Johnston, the survey's principal investigator.

Marijuana still remains the most popular drug among the teens. It increased for the 4th year in a row after a decade of decline. The survey found that about 7% of high school seniors report smoking marijuana daily.

"It's the highest rate we've seen in 30 years, so something is going on," Johnston said. He also said that growing numbers of teens don't see marijuana as dangerous.

"That's a very bad indicator, either we do something to change that, or we will continue to see increases." said Nora Volkow, a director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Director of the White House Office on National Drug Policy Gil Kerlikowske said,"State legalization of marijuana for medical use is influencing teens. We're sending young people the wrong message when we call it medicine."

The survey found that half of high school seniors reported having tried an illicit drug at some time, 40% of them have been reported using one or more drugs in the past year, and a 25% of them said they had used one or more drugs in the past month. Among the 10th-graders, 38% of them said they had tried an illicit drug.

Tobacco and alcohol use are at their lowest levels since the survey began in 1975.

Johnston said. "Kids consider smoking (cigarettes) to be dangerous. They aren't even trying it."

The University of Michigan conducted the survey. They questioned 47,000 students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades in 400 public and private schools around the nation. It's  sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health.