egor
Bluelighter
Just when you think the media can't possibly sink any lower, this comes along>
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/25195845/detail.html
ARVADA, Colo. -- A substance known as “legal marijuana” and branded Spice or K2, contains a compound that has been used in tree fertilizer.
7NEWS tested several popular samples of the substance, which have become bestsellers in some Colorado smoke shops.
One shop owner told 7NEWS she has no idea what is in spice that gives users a high.
“It’s interesting, because I don’t know,” admitted Susan Lucero, who owns The Dead Shed, a smoke shop in Arvada. Lucero said her synthetic marijuana products have become so popular that they are outselling her cigarettes.
Lucero has refused to sell the K2 brand of spice because she said she has heard it can be dangerous. But she does sell other brands of spice, and has no idea what they are made of and whether they are harmful.
“I know that somebody has allowed [spice] to be sold,” she said. “And nobody has told me I can't sell it.”
Spice can be legally sold under Colorado law, although it has been banned in other states. The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center has reported more than a dozen hospitalizations this year of teens and 20-somethings who had smoked spice.
Dr. Alvin Bronstein, medical director of the Poison and Drug Center, said spice has never been tested on humans. Despite spice’s reputation as a legal alternative to marijuana, spice smokers often have symptoms that are far different from symptoms of smoking marijuana, including increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
7NEWS wanted to find out what exactly is in spice.
John Kopta, a biochemist with Genovations Laboratory in Colorado Springs, agreed to test four popular samples of spice: K2, Black Mamba, Spike Gold and Spike Max.
Inside the slick packaging are various blends of herbs that Kopta said he believes are sprayed with a synthetic chemical.
“Once we have our extraction and clean it up through a couple of different steps, we're able to test it on our instrument,” said Kopta.
“Cleaning” the samples of spice involves breaking them down, then filtering them in test tubes.
The liquefied spice samples are transferred to an instrument that detects what compounds make up the sample. The results are displayed on a computer screen in specific percentages.
Kopta said the instrument showed the presence of a synthetic compound called JWH-018, a powdery chemical that has been used in tree fertilizer and can be bought online. Kopta said what surprised him about the samples he tested was the varying amounts of JWH-018 in each sample.
Kopta discovered that two of the samples contained an “average” amount of JWH-018, which Kopta measured against the average amount of THC found in a typical sample of marijuana, which is 10 to 15 percent.
But one sample of spice was so strong, it was the equivalent of smoking marijuana that is 20 percent THC. Kopta said marijuana that strong does not exist.
“You could be buying something that's really strong and not know it and end up in the hospital because of it,” said Kopta.
Kopta said he believes many of the manufacturers of spice do not have the capability to measure the potency of the substance they are selling. They are not required to list the ingredients because the products are sold as incense and the packaging states that spice is “not for human consumption.”
7News brought the results of Kopta’s testing to Lucero.
“I don’t know that it changes anything,” Lucero said after taking note of the vast differences between the amount of JWH-018 found in each spice sample. “If anything, this could become a selling point.”
Lucero said she sells only to customers who are 18 and over, and is not in the business of making decisions for her customers.
“I'm not making choices for people,” she said.
I think their editors need to lay off their own drugs before they post anything else this absurd8) Its tempting to send them a letter telling them to get the fact checker to remove head from asshole and point out all the blatant bullshit within the article.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/25195845/detail.html
ARVADA, Colo. -- A substance known as “legal marijuana” and branded Spice or K2, contains a compound that has been used in tree fertilizer.
7NEWS tested several popular samples of the substance, which have become bestsellers in some Colorado smoke shops.
One shop owner told 7NEWS she has no idea what is in spice that gives users a high.
“It’s interesting, because I don’t know,” admitted Susan Lucero, who owns The Dead Shed, a smoke shop in Arvada. Lucero said her synthetic marijuana products have become so popular that they are outselling her cigarettes.
Lucero has refused to sell the K2 brand of spice because she said she has heard it can be dangerous. But she does sell other brands of spice, and has no idea what they are made of and whether they are harmful.
“I know that somebody has allowed [spice] to be sold,” she said. “And nobody has told me I can't sell it.”
Spice can be legally sold under Colorado law, although it has been banned in other states. The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center has reported more than a dozen hospitalizations this year of teens and 20-somethings who had smoked spice.
Dr. Alvin Bronstein, medical director of the Poison and Drug Center, said spice has never been tested on humans. Despite spice’s reputation as a legal alternative to marijuana, spice smokers often have symptoms that are far different from symptoms of smoking marijuana, including increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
7NEWS wanted to find out what exactly is in spice.
John Kopta, a biochemist with Genovations Laboratory in Colorado Springs, agreed to test four popular samples of spice: K2, Black Mamba, Spike Gold and Spike Max.
Inside the slick packaging are various blends of herbs that Kopta said he believes are sprayed with a synthetic chemical.
“Once we have our extraction and clean it up through a couple of different steps, we're able to test it on our instrument,” said Kopta.
“Cleaning” the samples of spice involves breaking them down, then filtering them in test tubes.
The liquefied spice samples are transferred to an instrument that detects what compounds make up the sample. The results are displayed on a computer screen in specific percentages.
Kopta said the instrument showed the presence of a synthetic compound called JWH-018, a powdery chemical that has been used in tree fertilizer and can be bought online. Kopta said what surprised him about the samples he tested was the varying amounts of JWH-018 in each sample.
Kopta discovered that two of the samples contained an “average” amount of JWH-018, which Kopta measured against the average amount of THC found in a typical sample of marijuana, which is 10 to 15 percent.
But one sample of spice was so strong, it was the equivalent of smoking marijuana that is 20 percent THC. Kopta said marijuana that strong does not exist.
“You could be buying something that's really strong and not know it and end up in the hospital because of it,” said Kopta.
Kopta said he believes many of the manufacturers of spice do not have the capability to measure the potency of the substance they are selling. They are not required to list the ingredients because the products are sold as incense and the packaging states that spice is “not for human consumption.”
7News brought the results of Kopta’s testing to Lucero.
“I don’t know that it changes anything,” Lucero said after taking note of the vast differences between the amount of JWH-018 found in each spice sample. “If anything, this could become a selling point.”
Lucero said she sells only to customers who are 18 and over, and is not in the business of making decisions for her customers.
“I'm not making choices for people,” she said.
I think their editors need to lay off their own drugs before they post anything else this absurd8) Its tempting to send them a letter telling them to get the fact checker to remove head from asshole and point out all the blatant bullshit within the article.
