Bans on fake pot do little to deter business

Associated Press ^ | 09/15/10

[Wolfie]

Bans on fake pot do little to deter business

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Authorities in 13 states thought they were acting to curb a public health threat when they outlawed a form of synthetic marijuana known as K2, a concoction of dried herbs sprayed with chemicals.

But before the laws took effect, many stores that did a brisk business in fake pot had already gotten around the bans by making slight changes to K2's chemical formula, creating knockoffs with names such as "K3," "Heaven Scent" and "Syn."

"It's kind of pointless," said University of Missouri sophomore Brittany May after purchasing a K2 alternative called "BoCoMo Dew" at a Columbia smoke shop. "They're just going to come up with another thing."

Barely six months after Kansas adopted the nation's first ban on K2, even police acknowledge that the laws are all but meaningless because merchants can so easily offer legal alternatives.

Until a year ago, products such as K2 were virtually unknown in the United States. Clemson University chemistry professor John Huffman developed the compounds in 1995 while researching the effect of cannabinoids, the active compounds found in marijuana.

[Selmore]

We just banned it in Hattiesburg.

I asked the service station owner how much revenue has he lost and he said $1,000 per day.

[Jeff Chandler]

Is that what they smoke in those hookahs I’ve seen sold in gas stations?

[mrsmith]

Well, is it any good?

[-YYZ-]

Ah yes, another victory in the War on Drugs. This stuff’s probably more dangerous than the real thing. It must not have made it here yet, or I just haven’t noticed it at my local corner store among the pipes, bongs, pot-leaf emblazoned items, and packets of salvia divinorum. I haven’t tried that last one, but 20 years ago I probably would have. LSD was cheap and available at the time, though, if illegal.

[ladyvet]

I've talked to a kid that smokes it. He said that it gets them high like pot but doesn't show up in drug tests. The cops can't do anything about it when they see them smoking it. It's not illegal yet here.

[blabs]

K2 is awesome. It is 10x as good as any swag, domestic, or mexican weed, and twice as good as any Hydroponic. It only lasts for about 2 hours with no lingering edge. You only need 1 to 2 puffs, and it is an almost instantaneous elation.

It's better than alchohol as you don't lose your motorskills, or destroy your liver and kidneys, and remain cognizant and fully aware. I absolutely love it. It's the best thing since THC, and legal to boot. If they try to outlaw this stuff in my state, I'm buying at least ten pounds and going underground :)

[Califreak]

>a concoction of dried herbs sprayed with chemicals<

Sounds like tobacco...

[windcliff]

Now that sounds interesting.

[varyouga]

I've been warning prohibitionists about this for almost 10 years.

There are new “designer” herbs coming out every year. Many have a greater effect than pot. Many are also toxic and addictive at high doses, unlike real pot. Thanks War on Drugs

The government would have no way to test or stop these herbs if the market for them suddenly exploded. New ones would be developed as soon as the old are outlawed.

The only reason they are still unpopular is that any moron can buy real pot within a few hours of wanting it. These designer herbs are very popular among people that are drug tested and many have suffered ill effects. Thanks WOD.

The WOD is all side-effects with no real cure for any problems.

[Wolfie]

Man, you ain’t kidding. I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said about the chemical industry.