Confirmed: "Spice" is a rip-off with good viral ma

[tryptonaut]

I couldn't resist getting a bag of "Spice Gold" the so much talked about "new legal drug" that is supposed to be as strong as marihuana and consists of a mixture of more-or-less well-known smart-shop herbs such as baybean, blue lotus, scullcap, indian warrior and others.

I'd never have bought this, because I have tried almost every available legal drug in my life, and hardly ever found something worth noting (exceptions were Ephedra extract when it was still legal, and Kratom).

But with Spice, I was bombarded with news articles, tv pieces and street talk that this was different, it really worked. I heard on tv that experts suspected secret chemical ingredients they had not identified yet, I saw people giving interviews saying they were able to quit their pot smoking habit with this stuff.
Well, I saw it on tv, so it must be the truth, right?

Okay, I had to check it out. I got the 3g bag of Spice Gold via mail yesterday and what can I say... I smoked 3 joints in three or four hours, using up 2.5 of the 3 g. I added no tobacco (because I quit smoking 4 weeks ago ) and I must say it tasted okay, I have smoked worse herbal mixtures, but not so great either.
The effect, if you want to call it that, was limited to a slight buzz. About the same buzz you get if you smoke 10 cigarettes in half an hour. Or wash down a dxm capsule with a bottle of beer - no the latter is a stronger buzz.

So, my findings (that are 100% what a friend of mine said after he had tried the stuff a few weeks ago):
It's a really expensive mixture of herbs that has the same effect on you as about anything you'd smoke 3 joints of: a slight buzz that is so negligible I wouldn't call it an effect.
The viral marketing of this stuff is outstanding, though!

 

[restin]

I felt quite much when I smoked 400 mg in a bong....

 

[mrvn]

I always wondered why azarius wouldn't ship it to Holland. Now i know.

 

[JustinNed]

I believe they identified the "secret ingredients" to be different versions of the JWH Chemical series (i.e.; JWH-018, JWH-073, etc) with the different brands of Spice Blends. I actually have a couple mg of JWH-018, am waiting for the right time to try it.

 

[JustinNed]

Here's the report by the way, translated in to English from German via Google Translator.
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... l=de&tl=en

 

[Ahuaeynjxs]

Took a while before we knew it actually came from the Netherlands too...
I always found this stuff suspicious to say the least !

 

[druglessdouglas]

i didnt like to say but...
we have a word in scotland. pish

 

[Ahuaeynjxs]

To think all those kids have smoked substantial quantities of this novel chemical which is still untested for long term use...

 

[tms]

The 'new' synthetic cannabinoids already seem to be the new big thing for online RC vendors..

 

[mysticwarrior]

Welcome TMS

 

[tms]

ty mysticwarrior

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

The original article: http://www.badische-zeitung.de/nach...e-enthaelt-chemischen-wirkstoff--9211606.html
See JustinNed's post for English "translation".

Spice enthält chemischen Wirkstoff

Mehr als nur Natur: Eine Frankfurter Pharma-Firma hat die Kräuterdroge Spice untersucht und eine chemische Substanz gefunden, die nicht als Inhaltsstoff angegeben wird. Der Anfang vom Ende für die Kultdroge.

Die als Kräutermischung verkaufte Modedroge "Spice" enthält nach einer neuen Studie der Firma THC-Pharm eine künstlich hergestellte chemische Substanz aus der Arzneimittelforschung. In den untersuchten Proben von "Spice Gold", "Arctic Synergie" und "Yukatan Fire" fanden die Wissenschaftler die Substanz JWH-018 in unterschiedlicher und stark schwankender Konzentration. JWH-018 ist ein auf chemischem Wege hergestelltes Cannabinoid, das ähnlich dem in der Cannabispflanze enthaltenen Wirkstoff Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) von den Cannabinoid-Rezeptoren im Gehirn aufgenommen wird. JWH-018 besitzt eine ähnliche Wirkung wie THC, ist aber deutlich stärker.

Christian Steup, der Medizinische Leiter des Frankfurter Pharmaunternehmens THC Pharm, erklärte, der verwendete Cannabinoid-Wirkstoff sei ein recht einfach und günstig herzustellendes Mittel. Die Substanz weise keine chemische Ähnlichkeit mit dem Cannabis-Wirkstoff THC auf, wirke aber ähnlich. Der Wirkstoff sei noch nicht an Menschen erprobt worden. Da der Stoff nicht als Arzneimittel zugelassen sei, könnten Nutzer nicht wissen, ob das Mittel "rein" sei. So habe eine der sieben untersuchten Proben eine hohe Dosis an Lösungsmitteln aufgewiesen. Letztlich ist Spice eine Kräutermischung mit einem chemischen Zusatz, der ähnliche Wirkungen wie Cannabis hervorruft. Der Hersteller verspricht eine Kräutermischung, tatsächlich handelt es sich um eine getarnte psychoaktive Chemikalie.

Bei der Präsentation der von ihr veranlassten Analyse warnte die Stadt Frankfurt am Montag vor der Mischung, die wie Hasch geraucht wird. Gesundheitsdezernentin Manuela Rottmann (Grüne) empfahl dem Bund, mögliche Verstöße gegen das Arzneimittelgesetz zu prüfen. Die Kräuter allein hätten keine Wirkung, hieß es. Die Folgen der künstlichen Substanz seien nicht abschätzbar. Nach Angaben der Stadt ist es die erste Studie, die das Geheimnis um Spice lüften konnte.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

So habe eine der sieben untersuchten Proben eine hohe Dosis an Lösungsmitteln aufgewiesen.

One out of seven tested samples contained a high dose of solvents.

uke:

 

[restin]

I also read it. I was really shocked. This is where the people need to go because the real stuff is illegal - trying unknown bullshit :? I am really glad that I have no after effects of my spice consume (3 times) and I hope that others are fine as well.

 

[GOD]

I`d seriously consider volunteering to test synthetic canabinoids...................

 

[ararat]

:? a friend of mine is smoking it almost all the time. I was skeptical ever since.

I think in austria it's forbidden to buy it for two weeks now. in this time they want to find a "solution".

 

[restin]

From what I have experienced with spice, it is much less profound than real weed. actually it doesn't seem to be profound at all. To argue on a hippie-shit-level: it is not only the THC that makes the high...

You are high but it is different, you cannot learn anything. And obviously it is difficult to find the right measure, you can, as Tryponaut or also me not feel anything at all or have too much as I once did. It isn't worh it.

 

[Ahuaeynjxs]

Lets hope the solvent was Ethyl Alcohol ! :S

 

[GOD]

It will be interesting to see what happens to them . Prison + Fine + Damages + Bankrupsy .

 

[Ahuaeynjxs]

Definately... If I had money for a lawyer I would probably sue them for taking over an open market with a product with an unfair "advantage".

I was selling very fine smoking blends with all natural extracts and nothign synthetic, but when spice came along everyone forgot about my mix and they seemed addicted to the spice, I would find it highly suspicious to see people having smoked an entire package (it isn't cheap AT ALL) and coming back looking very high and asking for more to make reserves.

Not only everyone forgot about my fine product, but even my friend owning the business has put all his money on spice like his business depended on it, he gladly stopped paying me my salary AND the smoking mix I had lended him just to buy more spice.

Then came the party pills along with the energy drinks which completely killed the market for my very fine natural herbal products !

All in all if I had money for an attorney I would be a rich man, but it seems life isn't so kind sometimes, you just get scammed and those people get away with alot of money for making people addicts or ill.

Even withing the jurisdiction of the governement there is ambiguity about the law. I saw the health officials visit the business confiscating all the BZP, a completely legal substance here, and they go past the HUGE and COLORFUl stand that says you will be a better man if you drink that canister with 60 grams of sugar and 300 mg of caffeine in it, it even says right on the package that it's a natural HEALTH product...

You see why I'm frustrated and somewhat wild GOD ? This is the type of incoherence that make me ask alot of questions.

The law here is very clear, you cannot sell any herbal (its even clearer, ANY product that can be used to modify or change the physical status of the consumer, ANY psychoactive) product as a consumable unless you have express permission and peer reviewed studied to back your acceptance with a liscence.

NONE of the energy drinks have any kind of permit, and they claim they are a HEALTH product with 300 mg synthetic caffeine !!! They sell that to kids !

And yet they come in the shop to confiscate the BZP thats hidden behind the counter for only the users that know it exists from the internet, only sold to adults ? And they will "warn" us for our natural herbal products that we are forced to sell as incense in a package that does not suggest even a BIT of an effect or posology ?

They did warn us directly , forcing us to change our packages and loose alot of sales because people don't ask what this new "Whooping wow" product does, they simply see the package and say : Oh, exotic insence, whats this crap gimme an energy drink.

So they systematically ignore the big big big big companies that pay alot of taxes and make the small companies like mine subjugate to the law, effectively killing my business into oblivion.

Thats why I'm so frustrated when I see things like this ! Spice has sold for over a million in my humble town, and my product was selling that much before it appeared, no addictive substances, no undeclared products, no synthetics.

That million belongs to me for studying during 5 years to make sure my products didn't oxydise in the flame so that the smoker would get the least possible harmful effects, not to spice company who dosen't care !

Anyways it's not yall's fault, but if anyone's interested in a collective lawsuit, be sure to PM me !