Legal blend of herbs smokes like marijuana, but leaves no trace!

By Jerremy Sitz

Marijuana is illegal to possess for recreational or commercial purposes. In reaction to marijuana prohibition, smokeable herbal blends have become popular route to score that sweet, sweet legal high. The newest blend that is on the shelves at local smoke shops is being labeled as "fake weed" because of the marijuana-like high that comes from smoking it, despite not containing THC.

"We sell Wicked Spice (www.buywickedspice.com) as an incense, what people do with it once they leave The Joint is up to them. We have no control over it once it leaves our store," said employee Sara Jacobs, who added that the shop sells more than 150-200 grams of Wicked Spice/K2 a week.

"We can't even keep it in inventory because we are selling so much of it. Since were open until 3 a.m., we get a very wide range of people buying Wicked Spice: your mid 40-something professionals, grandmothers, and college kids," Jacobs added.

The blend is referred to as K2, Wicked Spice or Genie and is a mixture of exotic herbs that are coated with a chemical compound called JWH-018. The compound is designed to mimic THC on the cellular level. K2 affects the brain receptors that are responsible for inducing a euphoric high very similar to that caused by smoking dope.

The packaging for K2 and other similar products plainly state "Not for human consumption," but word has gotten around of the effects of smoking it, making the warning nothing more than a technicality.

Mathias, a junior environmental policy and management major, resonated the claim by stating, "I guess the effects were similar (to marijuana), but it was already in my head that I didn't like it because it tasted like fish food."

The company who makes the product is shrouded in secrecy, keeping that information to itself. Multiple websites claimed to have been the "official K2 website," but would not disclose exactly what is in the product they are selling, or allow an interview from any media source. Nolan Miller, the front manager from Dream Merchant Pipeshop & Tattoos, is unaware of the additive. "I don't know anything about the chemicals that are involved with it," he said.
K2 is currently legal to buy in most states in the country, including Ohio. It is available online from various websites, as well as the various smoke shops around the OSU campus. The Dream Merchant on 13th and High, for example has been selling the product starting at $25 per gram, with price drops as quantity increases. According to Nolin from Dream Merchant, Wicked Spice has been selling "pretty consistently every day" to both students and non-students around campus.

While K2 is currently legal in Ohio, it might not be for long; Great Britain, Germany, Poland and France have banned all sales of synthetic marijuana, according to CNN. This is not a good sign for fake pot proprietors in America. Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri have all written legislation proposing the banishment of products containing JWH-018. It is only a matter of time before the rest of the country jumps on the bandwagon.

Spice Product Reviews

Here is a new site made by some poor guy who got scammed by lower quality herbal blends:

www.herbalincensereviewman.org

The site rates various brands.

The list of Celebrities Smoking Synthetic Marijuana (Herbal Incence) Continues to Grow

As reported in part by friendsofcannabis.com/

It seems that it's not just people with good jobs and 14 year olds smoking spice. In the past months a few celebrities have come clean about using spice, and others have been caught on camera.

We all know that celebrities like to smoke their weed. But when they find themselves subject to random drug testing, more celebrities seem to be turning to synthetic (legal) marijuana. So let’s take a look at some who may surprise you, others you will say “no shit.”

Kristen Stewart

Miley Cyrus - Claims what she smoked was "Wicked Spice"

Lil Wayne

Kid Cudi

Rihanna caught buying Wicked Spice, and K2 from a convenience store in Los Angeles, CA.

The Legal Synthetic Marijuana That Works So Well It's About To Be Officially Banned

No one’s really sure where it’s manufactured — maybe China or Cameroon — or exactly what’s in it. It’ll probably get you high for 40 minutes or so. You can probably walk to the nearest gas station and buy some right now, but you’d better hurry. It's about to be illegal.

If you’re a high-school kid looking to score, or a parolee worried about a whiz quiz, you’ve probably already heard of the latest iteration of legal marijuana substitutes. Spice, as it’s most commonly known, has been expanding law-abiding minds across the state for at least the last two years, and it’s finally grabbed the attention of law enforcement.

On Nov. 24, the DEA used its emergency powers to outlaw a range of heretofore legal ”synthetic marijuana blends,” creatively marketed as "Wicked Spice Herbal Incense." ”When the ban comes into effect at the end of 2010/2011, the chemicals used in spice and related products will officially become controlled substances, illegal to use, possess or sell.

Legal bud such as Mr. Nice Guy, K2 (purchaselegallk2now.com), or Wicked Spice (buywickedspice.com) won't be available for long. Stock up all you can now.

DEA Emergency Ban on Synthetic Marijuana NOT in Effect

Contrary to previous reports that a DEA emergency ban on synthetic cannabinoids had gone into effect on December 24, that emergency ban has been delayed. The DEA published a notice in the federal register dated January 7 that its November 24 notice of intent to institute an emergency ban had to be revised due to "administrative errors."

Sold under a variety of names, including Spice and K2, the synthetic cannabinoid products have been criminalized in about a dozen states, with more states on track to join the list.

DEA spokesperson Barbara Carreno confirmed to the Chronicle January 13 that the ban was not yet in effect. "We're still writing the regulations," she said, explaining that, "While we must give the public 30 days notice, that doesn't mean it automatically becomes illegal. We're working diligently on it and hoping to get it done quickly."

The delay was forced by legal challenges from the Retail Compliance Association, a newly-formed retailers' organization created to block the DEA ban. "They need to stop hurting the small businesses that sell these products, and at least have a grip on the basics of the laws that govern their actions" said Dan Francis, the group's executive director, in a press release. "These rule do apply to them, they can't just declare that they don't and have it that way, we are a country of laws, passed by congress, not dictated by the DEA."

Get a synthetic high without breaking the law

By CHERRYL HURD and LORI PREUITT

The genie may be out of the bottle.

And when we use the word "Genie" we are talking about one of the many new names used for synthetic pot. You can buy the product at Bay Area smoke shops without breaking any laws and it will give you a pot-like high.

James Frost-Winn is no stranger to marijuana. He works part time at Distractions, which is one of the many shops on San Francisco's Haight Street. About a year ago he heard about a legal product that gives you a high similar to pot.

"A lot of people use it they have to do it to past drug tests." Frost-Winn said. "I wanted to try it cause it was around".

The pot impostor goes by several names other than Genie. They include Spice, K-2 and Wicked Spice herbal smoke.It was similar to what marijuana didn't have the same body or mind relief as marijuana," Frost-Winn said.

But unlike real grown marijuana, they are legal and are marketed as an herb incense or potpourri.

You can even find the stuff on Amazon.

When it first hit the smoke shops it flew off shelves, but sales have settled down in recent months, according to smoke shops we talked to.

Here's what you would be buying. The herbs in the product are sprayed with a synthetic chemical similar to THC, which is found in marijuana. The packaging says not for human consumption, but that is not stopping people from using it.

Amy Roderick, who is special agent with the DEA, said people could buy it from a store and have no idea about the potential side effects.

The synthetic pot has caught the attention of the DEA who now says they are considering listing Spice and K-2 as a "controlled substance," which would make it illegal.

People we talked to said that would be a waste of time, because makers would simply find something else to replace it with. Users say the product is also popular with members of the military and parolees because it doesn't show up in drug tests.

As of right now, synthetic Marijuana is legal !

Fake Weed (Spice, Genie, K2) Getting Kids High, But There's Nothing Cops Can Do!

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (CBS/A) It smokes like marijuana, gets users high like marijuana, it even sells at prices similar to marijuana – but new blends of herbs and spices called K2, Wicked, Spice are completely legal and law enforcement is struggling to figure out how to handle it.

"A 10-year-old child could walk into a head shop and buy it," said Shawn Rhoads, a police detective in West Plains, Mo. "It's not a tobacco, it's not regulated by anything. It would be like sending my 10-year-old son into Wal-Mart to buy potpourri."

The substance, often called "Spice," "Genie," or "Zohai" is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC and mostly made in China. It's smoked in joints or pipes, just like the real deal.

The key ingredients are believed to be the unintended result of scientific research.

Dr. John Huffman, a Clemson University organic chemistry professor, was researching the effects of cannabinoids on the brain when his work resulted in a 1995 paper that contained the method and ingredients used to make the compound. That recipe found its way to marijuana users, who replicated Huffman's work and began spraying it onto dried flowers, herbs and tobacco.

It's banned in much of Europe, but not yet regulated in the States. That's likely to change. A Missouri bill seeks to make possession punishable. A Kansas bill would make possession a misdemeanor.

Legal for now - Enjoy it now while you can!