Substance abusers involved with the state court system can no longer use synthetic marijuana with the assumption that it won't be detected in a drug screen.

Jennifer Akesson, 26, of Norwich learned the hard way about the new testing methods available to the state. Superior Court Judge Hillary B. Strackbein sent her to prison Friday after Akesson's urine tested positive three times for K2, a type of synthetic cannabinoid.

The laboratories that screen for drug abuse have been working hard to keep up with the underground chemists who have been altering the active ingredients of the substances sprayed on herbs and marketed as K2, Spice and a number of other brand names.

State probation officers and bail commissioners who monitor offenders routinely require them to undergo urine screening for 11 more traditional drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and opioids. Judges can order additional testing for synthetic cannabinoids, and probation and bail officers can request the test if they suspect their clients are using the drugs, according to Gary Roberge, director of adult probation and bail services for the Court Support Services Division (CSSD) of the state Judicial Branch.

Connecticut has a three-year contract, estimated at $750,000, with three different providers of drug test kits and laboratory diagnostics. The CSSD uses Redwood Toxicology Lab Inc., a Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company that boasts on its website that it has one of the most comprehensive screening panels available for synthetic cannabinoids. The state's contract with the company lists the cost of the 11-drug screening as $3.19 per test. The cost of additional testing for synthetic cannabinoids was unclear, and a representative of the company who was authorized to speak to a reporter did not return a phone call on Tuesday.

Police and courts have seen the number of cases involving synthetic cannabinoids rise since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration listed them as controlled substances in 2012. That same year, the state Department of Consumer Protection passed regulations banning fake marijuana, bath salts and salvia.

Medical experts say the long-term physical and psychological effects of these substances are unknown but potentially severe.

In October, regional health care and social workers told The Day that hospitalizations for people smoking the chemically laced herbs had spiked in recent months. Some users had become agitated, violent and confused, and one local man reported that he had been in a coma for a week after smoking K2.

Akesson, who has a history of shoplifting offenses, was charged in August 2014 with causing a disruption at the GA21 courthouse in Norwich, becoming "loud and angry" after a judicial marshal asked her to calm down, according to prosecutor Stephen M. Carney. She tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids on Dec. 8, 19 and 23, according to a report submitted by her probation officer, Valerie Moore.

On Jan. 7, according to a probation report, Akesson admitted to a counselor at the Southeastern Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (SCADD) that she had been using K2, and when she reported to court on Jan. 9, the judge sent her to the Janet S. York Correctional Institution for the weekend. Akesson returned to court Monday and resolved her cases with a 60-day sentence. Editor's note: This paragraph has been updated for clarification.)

The judge advised her to "do the right thing and get help" when she is released.

A handful of area convenience stores have been raided for selling the illegal substances, including the Ravi Mart at 268 Bank St., New London. City police raided the store in October 2013 and said they seized 145 bags of K2, marijuana and $4,040 in cash. They arrested store employee Ateeq Shafiq, 26, whose court case is pending.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN