Purity - Danger: Cut cannabis in the EU! (Glass and other dangerous stuff)

[Abrad]

This article from http://www.ukcia.org/library/contamination.htm
is worrying to say the least. At the end of this post is an analysis of the so called "grit weed", makes a disturbing read considering some members have reported encountering it.

Intro

Processed weed? At first hearing it's a laughable concept, because how could you possibly dilute a natural product such as weed in order to make its weight higher? After all, you'd know immediately if someone shoved a bunch of cabbage leaves among your buds, wouldn't you? But the ingenuity of the profit-seekers knows no bounds; for some time now rumours have been doing the rounds in cannabisland about a processed weed that even the highly knowledgeable cannot tell with the naked eye that it has been jiggered around with. There is - understandably - some concern about this, because if the stories are true, then people are being swindled, and even more seriously, smokers are facing unquantifiable health risks. Through our contacts, Soft Secrets got hold of two samples of weed, one of which according to the person who supplied us had been doctored, and the other had not. To the naked eye the two samples looked identical, but with a magnifying glass there were certain differences that could be made out.

As long as there has been trade in commodities, products have been cut and adulterated. The scarcer the product, the sooner somewhere in the distribution chain someone is tempted to bump up their profit margin by diluting said product with a neutral substance. This form of consumer deceit is really not the exclusive domain of 'criminals', because even in the supermarket you can find countless examples of (sometimes legal) fraud, for example with water and cheap 'chicken pieces' - protein-sprayed chicken meat that in many supermarkets are sold with complete legality but misleadingly as 'chicken product'. Mmm, tasty.

Honesty

If honesty in the legal world can no longer be relied on, then in the underworld of course there is absolutely nothing to hold them back. Naturally, one illegal substance lends itself better to being cut than another. What also counts is that selling adulterated dope in certain circles is really not a good idea. Hard drugs in particular are well known to be cut on a large scale with strange substances. With caffeine, manitol, inositol, fructose, dextrose, vitamin E and these days even atropine-cut coke and speed are more the rule than the exception. Hashish too was and still is regularly adulterated, both in the land of production as well as by dealers in the country it is distributed. The list of substances that have been used for this is long: as well as the addition of low-value leaf material from the hemp plant itself, they include animal fats, soap, henna, shoe polish, paraffin, sand and camel shit. Although it is perfectly possible that the latter is no more than an anecdote from the rich dope-folklore. Opium has also over the years been one of the usual suspects, especially regarding hash coming out of India and Nepal - even though opium here is more expensive than hash and so it would actually be a bonus for the consumer, you might say. Nederhash has also been found cut with foreign substances. Herman, the grow shop owner who tipped us off about the adulterated weed says: "A customer came in one time with marvellous, beautiful Nederpolm. At first we thought 'oh, what a wonderful colour', until we stuck it under a microscope. Then it was clear that were ground fibres from an ordinary pair of stone-washed khaki jeans mixed throughout it."

Blind as bats

Hashish is a perfect candidate for having weird substances mixed with it thanks to its easily-kneaded texture. With weed, this is a bit harder. In spite of this, there have always been smart Alecs who have dreamed up ways of boosting the weight (and therefore profit margin) of weed. For years now within the cannabis trade, it has been known that weed is not always the purely natural product that we think it is. And this is not a reference to the pesticide residues or other chemical crap that is regularly used in the nation's commercial green fields. "Dude, that is as old as the road to Rome", says coffee shop owner Erwin from the Randstad laconically when I ask him if he's ever had any contact with processed weed. "I have often been offered weed with starch on it, but you'd have to be totally blind not to see that immediately." If that is true, any savvy businessman would pick out such an adulteration immediately. And it looks unlikely that a lot of weed treated in this way has been turning up in coffee shops, since according to those in the know it was mainly weed destined for export.

Export

And that is still the order of the day, or so it seemed according to an article in the September issue of the German hemp newspaper Hanfjournal, in which readers were warned about a certain shipment of weed that came out of the Netherlands. In the article it was stated that: "At the moment in Holland, it is established practice for huge quantities of worthless weed to be sold abroad for ready cash. It concerns low-value and already pollinated weed that has then been processed in some way. The odour is very weak and 'green'. When it is smoked at first you do not notice anything unusual, and the ash too looks normal, but the stuff has virtually no effect. If you inspect it more closely you see within a few minutes a crazy mass of powder that looks absolutely nothing like cannabis glands. We suspect that it may be talcum powder. Thanks to this, at first sight it looks like a super weed; logical then that it is a bit more expensive. A pure swindle. In the first place this weed is pollinated and so has already brought in money. Secondly you gain some weight, and thirdly in this way you can also flog the most worthless weed."

Fraudsters

Over the years fraudsters have tried in many ways to ratchet up even further the already not-to-be-sniffed-at profits made on Dutch weed. A random selection of some of the substances that have been used to add more weight to the scales: iron filings (extra weight), starch, flour and baking powder, especially popular since the rise of the 'white' varieties (add weight and a tasty-looking white frosting), cola, sugar water and even cement. This last substance was spread over the plants with a ventilator in order to pop a few more grams on them before harvest. A real cannabis veteran told me how way back when, the inside of the stalk of the cannabis plant, which consists of white pulp, was dried out and in ground form strewn over the buds. In that case at least the additive was still a cannabis product. The nicest and cleanest way of bumping up profit margins is without doubt the trick that was apparently used regularly a few years back. The supplier hid a couple of the old five guilder coins in the middle of a kilo bag, and because these coins weighed around 20 grams apiece, this was weight he did not have to make up with weed. What was so psychologically compelling about the trick was that the swindled finder naturally for no moment felt like he'd been had, but on the contrary that he was a lucky so-and-so. So hey, if you can swindle someone and make them feel like that, you're almost an artist. And for the consumer there was of course no specks of crap in the air.

Flim-flam

This sort of fraud, with a dose of good will, can still almost be described as a kind of innocent flim-flam that fits in with age-old Dutch trading traditions. But with the adulterated weed that is now being offered at various places in the Netherlands, there is possibly something more serious going on. Among prominent cannabis pioneers, Herman is not exactly unknown. He's been running a wholesaling business as a spin off from his grow shop for a good 15 years. One of his many contacts knows people who are active in processing weed, and he managed to put two samples Herman's way. Of these one was, according to the contact, and the other was not treated with an unknown substance. Herman: "In all the time that I have been involved in this business I have often come across weed that had been meddled with," says Herman, "but if I tapped this bud then white powder fell out from it. What's worrying about this scam is that it is not possible with the naked eye to spot it. Only with a strong magnifying glass are the small differences visible; the stuff used can then be seen again as little flakes. I think. According to someone I know, it might be wallpaper paste, but it could just as well be some kind of polymer or other that has been tinkered with."

In itself, wallpaper paste is not an illogical conclusion, because the stuff, that primarily consists of cellulose (which is present in wood), binds with moisture and dries out transparent. Sadly, it is hard to pin down with analysis because the cannabis plant also contains cellulose.

Scarcity

According to Herman the appearance of this new generation of adulterated weed is a direct consequence of the scarcity on the market that has existed ever since the increasingly hard crackdown against growers in the 'Golden Triangle' of Limburg (southern province of NL - ed.). "We are well used to a certain level, but in recent times it has become considerably more than a trickle. We even hear stories of buyers walking around with magnets in order to check that there are no iron filings in the weed. If you sprinkle these over wet weed then you will not be able to notice them once it has dried out." The alarm bell started ringing when suddenly all over the Netherlands wet weed was being bought up on a large scale. "It began in the South and is spreading out like an oil spill over the rest of the whole Netherlands," says Herman. "For ten kilos of wet weed they are paying the price that you would normally pay for two kilos of dried, or 20% of the wet weight. Then the weed is already dried and had its leaves removed. I reckon they are making the weed even wetter and then rolling some kind of powder or other through it. Then it is dried out in a day or two (normally commercial weed is dried for about a week - ed.), thanks to which the little leaves contract very quickly. According to the guy who gave me the samples, the weed weighs about 10-25% more after it has been processed."

Enormous amounts

With wholesale prices hovering around the three euro per gram mark, it is clear that we are talking about enormous amounts. The appearance and smell of the processed product are no different to that of unprocessed weed, thanks to which it is extremely hard for buyers to tell the difference between a kosher and a potentially dangerous product.

"If I can not or barely see that it has been processed, then neither can 99% of the shop owners tell the difference," says Herman, "so I know for sure that it is being sold in the Netherlands on a huge scale in shops. Let's assume that 70% of weed at the moment is being sold wet," he continues. "Of that, maybe 80% is being sent abroad, but the rest is landing up in coffee shops." Herman is seriously worried about the phenomenon, for a start because the health of innocent dope smokers is being toyed with, but above all because the government is always ready to pounce on any argument for even more repression. If there really is something going on, then 'the demon weed has done it again' and those who are against cannabis will have yet another argument to justify an even tougher approach, he argues.

Variants

Comparable reports coming out of the provinces of Brabant, Utrecht, Limburg, Gelderland and Zeeland largely reinforce the thrust of Herman's story, and there are now newer (and grimmer) variants coming to light, for example in the province of Zeeland. In a South-Holland grow shop I heard the story of a shop owner who had been told of a 'very reliable acquaintance'. He had got a couple of kilos of 'lovely white weed' to split up. When he stuck one of his arms in the bag, it came back out with burn blisters on it. According to this informant it was caused by a pigment for powder coating, a heavy chemical substance.

But whoever I spoke to about processed weed, almost all of them would only do so on the condition that they could be quoted anonymously, and that speaks volumes in itself. Arne, who runs a grow shop in Limburg, was a short while ago thanks to a customer also confronted with adulterated weed. Having listened to his story it looks likely that there is also another processing method being used. "A friend came over with two small samples and asked me which one I found the best looking. Apparently, I picked out the one that had been processed! You just cannot see anything wrong, and the smell too is exactly the same as the non-processed one. At first I completely could not believe that there was anything dodgy, but the person who brought it to me was absolutely trustworthy. Only once you looked at it under a microscope could you see that there were weird rectangular blocks on it." Arne too has an extensive knowledge of weed, but unlike Herman, who in principle will not smoke anything he does not trust, Arne wanted to know the truth for himself and rolled a joint with the suspected sample. "One drag was already enough. It tasted chemical, sharp. I had heard that the stuff with which the weed had been adulterated was a chemical product from DSM (large Dutch chemical company - ed.) that is sold in kilo bags. The stuff was sprinkled all over wet weed which was then freeze dried."

White coats

But enough of all these vague suspicions. We want some hard facts. Analyses, graphics, men in white coats. So it's off to CannaResearch. When we turned up at CannaResearch with our samples, the world famous lab was more than happy to research what substance had been used. Not so strange, because the investigation actually fits seamlessly with the research into pesticide residues in weed that CannaResearch has long been busy with. But I was warned directly that it would not be an easy task to sort without any clues through the tens of thousands of chemical agents that exist at random to discover the identity of a single unknown substance. That would take years. But that something was done to the suspicious sample, was fairly quickly found out by the smart boffins at CannaResearch. More reliable sources had also reported examples of processed weed to CannaResearch, thanks to which something that had once seemed to be just the latest urban myth was becoming more and more likely to have some truth to it.

"There is something up"

"The research into the sample is far from over," said Ron from CannaResearch. "But from what we have learned so far, it seems that we have established that there is something up. Because it is impractical to go looking for particular contaminants out of the blue, we have developed a test with which in any case you can exclude the presence of certain substances, in this instance primarily heavy metals. From this test it was established that there was no indication of metals in these samples, but with this we have only ruled out 1% of all chemical agents, and so this result in no way says that there is no risk to the consumer. We are going to conduct some other tests to see if the THC concentration varies significantly between the two samples, so that we can determine what percentage of the weight consists of additives. What we have also determined is that the product was dried out very quickly. The THC levels are barely influenced by this, but certain flavourings and psychoactive substances, such as terpenes, were broken down, thanks to which the taste and smell were clearly reduced. A real professional smoker will be prompted to ask "what the fuh-?", but a young German kid will probably not notice anything amiss, and just think "whoah - I've got nice and stoned from it." For some time now, CannaResearch has had the facilities to do a chemical analysis of possible pesticides in cannabis products. A ground-breaking service with which coffee shops can cultivate their sense of self-regulation and responsibility. Without a doubt coffee shops will soon be banging on the door of CannaResearch hoping for a test for as yet unknown weed adulterants.

Critical

In anticipation of the results from the CannaResearch investigation, the question remains whether the processed weed represents a hazard to the consumer. And although there are enough suspicions, and in any case two informants testifying to the fact that processed weed is making its way in to certain shops, it is still absolutely unclear on how big a scale this is happening and whether the processed weed is remaining in circulation after being discovered. A couple of thousand euros-worth of dope is a lot to flush down the loo purely because there are some vague reports of weed being messed about with, and this is not the reaction we can expect from everyone. And to add to all that vagueness there also comes the possibility that we are not talking about one but perhaps many methods of cutting weed.

Even so, most coffee shop owners that I have spoken to believe that the phenomenon of processed weed will work itself out, even if only because it is pretty noticeable when the much-used kilo bags suddenly start having the same weight but with smaller volumes of weed in them. According to others, this is a rubbish argument, since weed is far from always delivered in such a package.

Microscope

In spite of the invisibility of the threat from processed weed, coffee shop bosses are not forced to just sit around and take it. One rule of thumb to help prevent buying suspect weed is to insist that the weed is delivered in the well-known kilo bags. Another is to build up and maintain their own network of growers and thereby build up a relationship of trust, which can save a lot of uncertainty, just as can maintaining a critical attitude towards new suppliers. And finally there is the tip to invest in a microscope, which under the circumstances is no longer an unnecessary luxury.

Kite mark

'Whistle blower' Herman thinks that it is high time that coffee shops take responsibility themselves and take some structural steps - which in the same effort another hot potato, pesticides, would be tackled. "I think that coffee shop owners have to make sure that the weed that is handed over the counter has had some sort of 'kite mark' establishing that it has been tested for poisonous substances. Think of the way that in Germany wine is checked. Every wine grower has to have a sample of each wine he produces tested at a laboratory. It costs them a couple of euros, and they get back a test report. By using spot checks it can be checked whether the wine does indeed come from that party. It is not hard to imagine that an institution such as the Trimbos (Dutch drugs research unit - ed.) develops such a test. But that something has to happen is clear, because if we let this slumber then sooner rather than later we're going to once again see total hysteria in the government."


With thanks to CannaResearch and Hanfjournal

Names of people mentioned or quoted in this article have been changed to protect their privacy.


The following was posted on another forum by MaxFreakout but I felt there was a need for it to be posted here. It seemingly comes from an email circulating from a UK anti-prohibition site.

I have done a basic analysis on the contaminants of 3 batches of bud
from
SW, SE and London- I have also seen similar samples from many, many
sources,
starting at the end of February 2006.

1: Under microscope at 50x magnification, contaminants appear as very
small
(50-120 um) beads, with regular circular shape and small pores/ single
holes
present.

2: Beads do not dissolve in non polar solvents (pet ether) or polar
solvents
(ethanol, acetone).

3: Beads are insoluble in conc NaOH solution, conc H2SO4.

4: Melting point is above 400C, but cannot perform TG, DTG analysis at
the
moment so cannot specify any transition temperatures or accurate
melting
points.

5: The beads have a significant sodium and silicon content, suggesting
that
the comments previously about silicates are correct.

6: Smoking this has resulted in mouth ulcers and sore throats/ chesty
coughs
which never occur when smoking normally due to the good health and only
occasional cannabis use of the subject.

7: Reliable sources say that this contaminant is industrial etchant
spray
used for glass frosting, It is a high pressure aerosol of propellant,
lubricant and silicate abrasives. This accounts for the high permeation
levels displayed in all 3 samples, with particulates presents inside
even
'tight' buds all the way into the stems. This also may account for the
non
plany oils present in the bud which have been previously described as a
'glue'

8: The same sources (and other independent sources) have corroborated
the
same story of the origin of this contamination. The main suppliers are
from
2 major cities to the north of wales and are gangs from these two
cities.
Most people will guess where I mean as the post 'drought' supplies are
mainly concentrated around these cities.

9: Obviously a further qualitative analysis is needed and I may be able
to
perform MS, IR, NMR and thermal methods on the samples, in particular
the
oil 'glue' and the gritty particulates.

10: DO NOT SMOKE THIS, IT MAY POSE A SIGNIFICANT HEALTH HAZARD AND WE
MAY
SEE A DRUG TAKING COMMUNITY CRISIS ON A LARGER SCALE THAN THE MPTP
CRISIS OF
THE EARLY 80'S. BUYERS: PLEASE RECONSIDER BEFORE BUYING ANY MORE OF
THIS,
AND CONSIDER THE DAMAGE YOU MAY BE CAUSING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.

PLEASE RE-READ POINT 7. IT IS THE MOST RELIABLE INDICATOR OF THE MOST
OBSERVED CONTAMINANTS. OTHER CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS NATURAL SAND ARE
PROBABLY
THE RESULT OF SUPPLIERS COPYING THE ETCHANT METHOD WITH WHATEVER THEY
HAVE
TO HAND.
>>

If there is any truth in the above (I believe there to be but the law
against cannabis prevents any open independent research) this could
lead to
harms far, far greater than pure cannabis ever could do. We need a high
profile public awareness campaign from the government NOW. This is what
prohibition does.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Excellent find! Well done
	Thanks alot, very imformative post.
	v. interesting read of a v. f**cked up matter :/
	Interesting read.
	very informative good to know what the hell it is your smoking.
	Very informative thread. Very disturbing too...
	great information!
	Very informative, Something SWIM definately didn't know. Thanks

[Nature Boy]

Thanks for the post Abrad. Some food for thought indeed. SWIM will have to be a lot more picky with what he buys from now on.

[Alfa]

This is not just a UK and Irish thing. Weed with many different adulterants in there is a danger in The Netherlands now as well.
Here is the news on Dutch national TV: Gevaarlijke wiet in de handel

This is the direct effect of Goverenments in several coutries hitting growers hard and thus pushing 'softies' out of the market and inviting ruthless criminals in.

[Lunar Loops]

This from the Cannabis Pragmatism website (http://www.cannaprag.net/comment/070101.htm) :

Press release 1st January 2007

Herbal cannabis on sale in the UK is now suffering widespread contamination. Analysis shows it to be small glass beads 50 - 120 micron in diameter. Sources suggest that this contaminant is industrial etchant spray used for glass frosting, a high pressure aerosol consisting of propellant, lubricant and silicate abrasives. This product has been identified as a likely candidate.

During the summer of 2006 police staged a series of raids against large scale cannabis grow-ops all over the UK known as "Operation Keymer", this had the effect of creating a sudden shortage of cannabis - no doubt it's desired effect.
However, within a very short period of time this shortage was at least partly filled by cannabis which was highly contaminated. Seemingly high quality "bud" - herbal cannabis - was found to contain some form of grit or sand. The website www.ukcia.org began hearing of this contaminated cannabis on sale from the far south west to the north of Scotland within weeks of the raids.
At first, the contamination was thought to be fairly benign with something inert being added simply to increase the weight of the deal, making the cannabis more expensive but otherwise not posing a danger. As time went past however, it became clear there was a potential danger which may be of great significance for the health of the user.
Photo's of the contaminated bud seemed to show some kind of glass fragments - click here
The contamination found by analysis is actually small beads 50 - 120 micrometers diameter, made of some non-soluble high melting point glass like substance. If smoked in a joint or chillum with no filter - as most cannabis smokers do - these glass beads will be drawn into the lungs with possibly devastating results, it's doubtful that using a pipe with a gauze will prevent this happening either.
Of course, given the illegal nature of cannabis and the workings of the law, this analysis cannot be verified and the author of it is unknown, but the methodology provided and the conclusions drawn seem reasonable.
This contamination is a direct result of the policy of prohibition and the danger it represents is in addition to any danger that may exist from using pure cannabis. It is a very graphic illustration of how the policy of prohibition not only increases the dangers associate with illegal drugs but also creates dangers of its own.
There is an urgent need to publicise this contamination in order to advise cannabis users not to smoke this "grit weed" and dealers not to sell it.
Derek Williams of Cannaprag said:
"What has become clear through this incident is that the government has no method of warning illegal drug users of dangers such as this and seemingly has no desire to do so. We do have a very expensive advertising campaign known as "Talk to Frank" which makes strange adverts but seems unwilling or unable to respond to such incidents.
"Government policy towards illegal drugs should not act in such a way as to increase the danger of using them by adding unknown risks, however contamination of supplies is used as a measure of "success" of the prohibitionist drugs policy.
"Cannaprag is calling for a public information campaign to raise awareness of this contamination as a matter of urgency. It will be affecting a huge number of people, literally millions. A public health warning is urgently needed to inform users that they should not smoke this contaminated cannabis and dealers should not sell it".

[Trebor]

It's all good for Swim 'cuase he gets his stuff from a home grown farm.

[Alicia]

Source Link :http://www.ccguide.org.uk/news/shown...rticleid=12086

UK: Warning to drug users

Ben Kendall

Eastern Daily Press, UK


Tuesday 02 Jan 2007


Drugs users across East Anglia were last night warned to exercise
extreme caution after research showed cannabis supplies are being
contaminated with harmful glass particles.

Campaign bodies lobbying for the legalisation of cannabis claim small
glass beads - believed to be an industrial spray used for glass frosting
- are being added to herbal cannabis in a bid to increase its weight and
making ìdealsî more expensive.

Norwich-based group Cannaprag says police raids during the summer of
2006 which saw large scale cannabis farms - including several in
Norwich, Yarmouth and King's Lynn - closed down have created a shortage
of the drug meaning dealers are contaminating supplies in a bid to meet
demand.

But this could have serious health consequences for thousands of users
with some already reporting mouth ulcers, sore throats and chesty
persistent coughs.

Cannaprag spokesman Derek Williams said the cannabis using community has
had suspicions about contamination for about six months but has only now
obtained evidence by analysing samples of the drug. At first the
substance was thought to be a relatively harmless material such as sands
but the results are far more worrying.

Mr Williams added: ìWhat has become clear through this incident is that
the government has no method of warning illegal drug users of dangers
such as this and seemingly has no desire to do so.

ìGovernment policy towards illegal drugs should not act in such a way as
to increase the danger of using them by adding unknown risks.

ìCannaprag is calling for public information campaign to raise awareness
of this contamination as a matter of urgency. It will be affecting a
huge number of people. A public health warning is urgently needed to
inform users that they should not smoke this contaminated cannabis and
dealers should not sell it.î

Mr Williams said that such contamination is a result of prohibition and
legalising cannabis would allow the government to ensure the safety of
supplies.

ìThe reality is that people are going to use cannabis and, if that is
the case, the government should have some way of ensuring their safety.
The only way of doing this is through legalisation,î he said.

Magnification of three samples shows small beads 50 - 120 micrometers
diameter, made of non-soluble high melting point glass like substance.

If smoked without a filter - as is common - these glass beads are drawn
into the lungs.

The author of the research has remained anonymous but Cannaprag and
other legalisation campaign groups are calling on the government to
conduct its own research.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good article, thanks for the heads-up

[Nature Boy]

Fucking government. They're only gonna be happy about this. More petrol splashed onto the anti-marijuana bonfire. They won't regulate high strain marijuana types despite their (over-blown) fears of schizophrenia and they won't regulate weed full of pesticides. Now this. "Just say no" is here to stay it seems.

[enquirewithin]

If smoked without a filter - as is common - these glass beads are drawn
into the lungs.

If that's true, it's very nasty!

[Lunar Loops]

This from The Guardian (UK) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Stor...988627,00.html) :
Warning issued over cannabis adulterated with glass beads
James Randerson, science correspondent
Friday January 12, 2007
The Guardian

Drug campaigners have warned that a batch of cannabis adulterated with tiny glass beads which they say could pose a risk to health has flooded the UK market. Anecdotal reports suggest it is being sold in almost every part of the country.
The charity Drugscope is issuing a warning. "We want to make people aware of it from a public health point of view. If you are smoking this stuff and taking it into your lungs it's not good news."
The fact that "grit weed", as it is being called, is so widespread suggests that contamination is happening at an early stage in the production process. "It seems to be being done on an industrial scale," said Harry Shapiro of Drugscope.
The dealers' motivation seems to be to bump up the weight of their product. They appear to be doing this by spraying plants with the reflective element from the paint used on road lines. The tiny reflective glass beads become imbedded in the leaves.
"It looks perfectly normal. In fact it looks good quality," said Derek Williams of UK Cannabis Internet Activists, which campaigns against cannabis prohibition.
Contributors to its internet forum have said the contaminated leaves can be identified by rubbing them between wetted fingers. The residue will feel gritty if chewed.
The first reports of grit weed circulated in late summer, but the groups have only recently received pictures of the beads taken with an electron microscope by an anonymous scientist. There have been rumours of users experiencing a tight chest for days after smoking grit weed, but a spokesperson for the British Thoracic Society said that the contamination was unlikely to be dangerous because the particles are too big to be inhaled into the lungs.
An analysis carried out by the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction found that the glass particles are between 0.02 and 0.3 millimetres across. But Richard Russell, a consultant at Imperial College London, said few particles above 0.015 millimetres would be able to pass into the lungs because they are too big.
"It is likely that they will deposit in the mouth or the throat," said Dr Russell. Here they would most likely pass harmlessly through the system. Using a filter would stop them entering the mouth.
Dr Russell said that smokers should be aware that cannabis smoke causes emphysema, lung inflammation and cancer. "You are likely to do more damage from the marijuana than these particles." Mr Williams said that the widespread contamination highlighted the problems which stem from cannabis prohibition. "Cannabis is called a controlled drug, but there is no control over the supply side. It's a completely underground product," he said.

[Nature Boy]

Dr Russell said that smokers should be aware that cannabis smoke causes emphysema, lung inflammation and cancer. "You are likely to do more damage from the marijuana than these particles."

I find this comment to be completely bizarre. Is there any scientific data or statistics backing this? So many links to all kinds of ailments are made with cannabis but no-one ever has anything solid to back these claims up. It's downright ridiculous.

[Nature Boy]

Edited Due To Merging Of Threads

[Nagognog2]

Okay - if it's true this is a major health & welfare crisis. Just like paraquat-laced pot in the US back in 1977-8.

Now comes the BIG question: WHO IS BEHIND IT?

[Nature Boy]

I reckon it's just criminals who couldn't give a shit what they're selling, they're just looking for maximum profit. There's no mystery behind it. Just one of the pains in the ass of prohibition.

[MrG]

Originally Posted by Alfa

This is not just a UK and Irish thing. Weed with many different adulterants in there is a danger in The Netherlands now as well.

Alfa, I thought that the Coffeshop weed was grown and sold under supervision in The Netherlands, at which stage is it being adulterated?

[Alicia]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

Okay - if it's true this is a major health & welfare crisis. Just like paraquat-laced pot in the US back in 1977-8.

Now comes the BIG question: WHO IS BEHIND IT?

an interesting point..

On other hand of the spectrum, there are alot of people smoking weed, in the end if this keeps up and there are majour health concerns surely it would be more better just to allow use being regulated like they do in holland or at the very least decriminalize it allowing people who wish to smoke it to grow there own. or is this just a dream. swia probly dreaming again. tragic however swia herself a while ago came across weed like this she mentioned it to the supplier and they haven't seen any since depends on the dealers thou as Nature boy said.

This what happens when things are illegal thou..

[Alicia]

Dr Russell said that smokers should be aware that cannabis smoke causes emphysema, lung inflammation and cancer. "You are likely to do more damage from the marijuana than these particles."

Lol. no there is no real evidence, also it is impossible to tell some people will roll the joints with tobbacco which is well known carinogen in its own right, rather then smoking it pure. lol agree with Nature boy it is kinda stupid considering an adulterant added to a natural product is more likely to cause those concerns. then the weed itself.

Originally Posted by MrG

Alfa, I thought that the Coffeshop weed was grown and sold under supervision in The Netherlands, at which stage is it being adulterated?

Probley afters its been dried or cured.

This is one of the reasons swia quitted hash smoking when she found out about its adulterants. but now sadly it is happening with weed. she has not come across any contaminated since last year. but always checks her stuff before purchase and will let her shop know as it cares about its product. swia usually always makes charras hash, out of her weed well has been for a while,which seems to make her stuff last longer. Swia wonders if this will stop when things go back to normal stock wise.

[Alfa]

Coffeeshop weed is grown by who ever sells to coffeeshops. Growing weed is illegal in the Netherlands and will get growers in jail and evicted from their homes.

[MrG]

I know that growing weed is illegal in The Netherlands but I recall watching a documentary some time ago where it stated that "licenced" growers supplied the Coffeeshops and that it was strictly controlled and supervised and yet you say that the glass problem exists there too.

How can it be if the grass suppliers are under government supervision?

[Alfa]

Coffeeshops are not supplied by licenced growers. Do not believe anything you see on TV. There has been a licenced medical marijuana program though.

Back on topic: The shyte seems to be everywhere. SWIM is hearing from people across europe they are seeing this crap.

[Ice_Cream_Man]

SWIM lives just outside of london and its all over the place...in abundance. Sadly SWIM had this shiit unknowingly - the next day SWIM was coughing up clumps of blood for half the day and felt like his chest was on fire. SWIM has now stopped smoking what SWIM loves because of this problem. From what i've heard this shiit is all over europe, even czech and morrocco have had this stuff. In my opinion, if the government wern't so stubborn they'd address the situation as quickly and as loudly as possible before we see the first fatality, whether its legal or not, the government has a duty. If they were to decriminalise cannabis and give it a one plant per household rule there wouldn't b any of this problem. Now call me paranoid but i personally think that this is the NL governments doing, think about it...contaminate all the weed thats going out so everyone comes to the one place were its legal...or maybe im reading into this too much.

[Alicia]

swia reckons it will end up with more people growing there own really to avoid it. not that she can see it last along time anyway things always seem to have a way of regulating themselves. in some areas swia has seen no one has come across it yet which is good.Swia did come across a cut batch last yeah she did'nt have any coughing fits just a gritty something in your teeth feeling. other then that seemed fine.she did'nt buy anymore from that source

[sci]

Nasty Nasty !! Around SWIMS parts (midlands, UK) bud is usually covered with that glue that spays out of a can ,, adds stickiness and little weight ,, and tastes Horrid...its either that or semi wet bed,, SWIM glad SWIM grows SWIMS own...

[Bassic]

Some of the bud around where SWIM lives (although we very rarely get shit weed because most dealers in SWIMs area care) is adulterated with silicone. This is a very very serious health hazard as you can get silicosis from inhaling silicone www.wikipedia.com

[indow sack]

cornwalls got shed load of the shit ive seen about 15-20 different types sugar glass fibre glass mirror and the list go on. who evers doing it should fuck off and die

[VitaminK22]

This is very true, swim lives in the UK and he has had stuff like this quite a few times now (started since about november 06). we call it sandblast cos it looks like some has just pressurised sand staight into the buds. we always thought it was sand cos if u bite the bud then u will get a gritty feeling in your teeth whereas if its just THC it just feels like small solid particle. whenever swim has smoke this stuff it make swims throat soar and it feels horrible on the back of your throat when smoking it.
Swim has (what Swim calls) a lettuce grinder, a big grinder that has holes in the bottom that the grinded up bud fall through and under the holes is a mesh siv and a small compartment below the mesh (not very pratical but good for gettin rid of sand/glass). swim used this grinder and the amount of sand that ended up in the bottom of the grinder was unbelivable.
anyway swim dont smoke that shit anymore, the only reason swim used to is cos no1 could get any decent buds, swim now has northern lights....wahoo