DEA taking preliminary steps to ban synthetic marijuana

[amy31416]

Just when you thought the states were making some headway, so to speak....

http://abcnews.go.com/US/synthetic-marijuana-dea-moves-temporarily-ban-powerful-drug/story?id=12234682


The Drug Enforcement Administration said today that it will ban five chemicals used to produce synthetic marijuana, making the product illegal to sell or possess in the United States.

WATCH: Fake Drug, Real Consequences
The move comes as a wave of young people across the country has embraced synthetic marijuana, which was sold legally in many places, as a way to get high.

The temporary ban on chemicals in fake pot will go into effect sometime in the next 30 days, the DEA said today in a news release. The ban will be in place for at least a year as the federal government considers whether to control the substances permanently.

More at link...

EDIT: After reading further, this stuff doesn't sound much like marijuana at all...but I am not personally familiar with it.

[agitator]

Synthetic Marijuana is a gateway drug.

[Bruno]

Synthetic Marijuana is a gateway drug.

To what?

[agitator]

To what?

The fainting game.

[Bruno]

The fainting game.

oh. lol

[itshappening]

they will just create a new compound to get round it

[BamaAla]

The fainting game.

:D
Which is the proximate cause of 93% of first time heroin use. Which can lead directly to terrorism. Watch out people

[dannno]

EDIT: After reading further, this stuff doesn't sound much like marijuana at all...but I am not personally familiar with it.

Read about cannabinoids.. they are really interesting, our body's hormones are tied into and regulated by our natural cannabinoid system. Cannabis helps regulate our hormones by increasing certain cannabinoids in our system.

The "synthetic marijuana" substance is a synthetic cannabinoid developed by a scientist studying cannabinoids.

Cannabis, however, contains THC along with hundreds of cannabinoids.. so it isn't the same thing, it doesn't feel exactly the same, it is merely a component of cannabis that acts in a similar way to components in cannabis.

[specsaregood]

The temporary ban on chemicals in fake pot will go into effect sometime in the next 30 days, the DEA said today in a news release. The ban will be in place for at least a year as the federal government considers whether to control the substances permanently.


Interesting how some unelected people can just deem something illegal and ban it.

[amy31416]

Read about cannabinoids.. they are really interesting, our body's hormones are tied into and regulated by our natural cannabinoid system. Cannabis helps regulate our hormones by increasing certain cannabinoids in our system.

The "synthetic marijuana" substance is a synthetic cannabinoid developed by a scientist studying cannabinoids.

Cannabis, however, contains THC along with hundreds of cannabinoids.. so it isn't the same thing, it doesn't feel exactly the same, it is merely a component of cannabis that acts in a similar way to components in cannabis.

I will a bit later...but did you see some of the claims that people were harmed by it, physically?


There have been more than 500 cases of adverse reactions to synthetic marijuana across the country in the past year, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. The number has risen exponentially, with the organization only citing six reported incidents from the year before.

I've never heard of marijuana doing that, or anything similar (assuming that it's true, of course.)

[specsaregood]

I will a bit later...but did you see some of the claims that people were harmed by it, physically?

I've never heard of marijuana doing that, or anything similar (assuming that it's true, of course.)

Imagine that, outlaw one thing and dangerous things take their place in a newly formed black market.

[Kotin]

Yeah I would not trust any synthetic cannabinoid.. That sounds fishy to me..

Marijuana is very complex as are cannabinoids and I don't have much faith that this could be synthesized properly or near to the same effect as nature.

[Dr.3D]

Synthetic Marijuana is a gateway drug.

So is milk. I understand nearly every hard drug user started with milk.

[OrigSEOH]

Every time this issue comes up, I think of this story...
"Florida Biochemist designs a citrus tree with THC"
h ttp://thecrit.com/2008/10/05/florida-biochemist-designs-a-citrus-tree-with-thc/

[Jordan]

Paul Hausladen, 20, said his life began to fall apart after he became addicted to the drug.

"It's the type of drug that once you use it once, you have no control over how you are going to use," Hausladen said. "I could walk into a tobacco store and just buy whatever I wanted, however much I wanted."


You can't control yourself, so neither can anyone else. :rolleyes:

[Dr.3D]

You can't control yourself, so neither can anyone else. :rolleyes:

So he is addicted to tobacco? Tobacco is far more addictive than any form of pot.

[Bruno]

Two things this ban will result in are it entering the black market and it doubling or tripling in price.

[dannno]

I've never heard of marijuana doing that, or anything similar (assuming that it's true, of course.)

Actually I heard one of my relatives in another state got into it a bit and their parents heard that they (store owners? producers of the product?) were mixing "meth" in with it to make it stronger and they freaked out.

Now, you can't actually smoke meth (though you can vaporize it), if you actually smoked meth it would give you a horrible reaction.. so I don't think that is what they were mixing into it, but i imagine they could lace it with other stuff. Who knows what, legal or illegal.

What they were selling to begin with was smokeable herbs sprayed with this stuff, so it's already 'laced' once..

[zach]

I've used these synthetic cannabinoids in the form of "K2" quite a number of times, and while it can give the desired effect, I see no need for it to be illegal from the aspect that it's too dangerous for anybody to consume it. However, given the fact that because these various chemicals and herbal combinations have not been tested enough, I wouldn't say that it's safe for everyone due to allergies or sensitivities..

But for the record, there are better things to do than to tell us what we should do or not do with our free time and resources.

[HOLLYWOOD]

You have 30 days to indulge... then the ban is in effect for one year and will hold the penalty of an illegal drug of heroin/cocaine.

Funny, something synthetic to replicate MJ, is listed as a Heroin/Cocaine caliber drug. This is just absolutely absurd.

[speciallyblend]

they cannot even ban marijuana after 75 yrs :) in a sad way this is nothing more then a biggov dea joke!!

DEA=Domestic Terrorists!

[speciallyblend]

You have 30 days to indulge... then the ban is in effect for one year and will hold the penalty of an illegal drug of heroin/cocaine.

Funny, something synthetic to replicate MJ, is listed as a Heroin/Cocaine caliber drug. This is just absolutely absurd.

desired effect folks will buy marijuana or the fake herb on the street ;) yeah dea;)


now the fake herb folks can buy cocaine and harder drugs instead of the fake herb that street dealers will not bother with! way to go dea your now driving more business to the streets and exposing the kids to harder drugs yeah dea!!

now that the fake herb is illegal i think i will actually try it:)

[Jordan]

I laugh every time the government says something is "temporary."

[speciallyblend]

You have 30 days to indulge... then the ban is in effect for one year and will hold the penalty of an illegal drug of heroin/cocaine.

Funny, something synthetic to replicate MJ, is listed as a Heroin/Cocaine caliber drug. This is just absolutely absurd.

desired effect folks will buy marijuana on the street instead of the fake herbs, i think i will actually wait the 30 days so i can buy it illegally;) yeah dea;)

dude you got any fake herb? i am tired of the real herb:)

[JoshLowry]

Funny, something synthetic to replicate MJ, is listed as a Heroin/Cocaine caliber drug. This is just absolutely absurd.

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html

Look what class Cannabis is in...

[speciallyblend]

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html

Look what class Cannabis is in...

yeah i know it is the worse drug on the planet and do not forget it is a gateway drug to;0(sarcasm)

makes the dea and the us gov look like the idiots they are!

[Jordan]

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html

Look what class Cannabis is in...

Cannabis is schedule 1.

Meth is schedule 2.

[Bruno]

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html

Look what class Cannabis is in...

yep.

And as Schedule I it "has no medicinal value" though many states think otherwise, thousands of years of history including that in our own country dispute it, and our federal government has been supplying it for medicinal purposes for decades.

[speciallyblend]

yep.

And as Schedule I it "has no medicinal value" though many states think otherwise, thousands of years of history including that in our own country dispute it, and our federal government has been supplying it for medicinal purposes for decades.

the whole marijuana prohibition gives our own gov the Domestic Terrorist ID!! The US GOV has 0 credibility on marijuana! the real reason marijuana is illegal is because of race issues(mexicans) and Raw Materials, dupont's money and lobbying is why the us gov/dea looks like idiots!

Marijuana as a Schedule 1 shows that the gop/dnc/us gov/dea and the rest of them are corrupt liars and the worst terrorists on this planet!!

[oyarde]

OK , help me summarize this please . Real weed is made illegal and should not be . Somebody makes fake weed that may be a little worse for you , but it is legal , so people buy it . Now they move to make that illegal . Is that about it ?

[Jordan]

OK , help me summarize this please . Real weed is made illegal and should not be . Somebody makes fake weed that may be a little worse for you , but it is legal , so people buy it . Now they move to make that illegal . Is that about it ?

Yep.

[amy31416]

OK , help me summarize this please . Real weed is made illegal and should not be . Somebody makes fake weed that may be a little worse for you , but it is legal , so people buy it . Now they move to make that illegal . Is that about it ?

Yeah...I think that just about sums it up. They're banning 4 or 5 chemicals to make this so...........which, of course will have "unintended" consequences" in science, industry and research.

[oyarde]

It reminds me of the old defination of insanity .

[speciallyblend]

OK , help me summarize this please . Real weed is made illegal and should not be . Somebody makes fake weed that may be a little worse for you , but it is legal , so people buy it . Now they move to make that illegal . Is that about it ?

in a nutshell yes,laughable eh? basically making the dea a bigger joke then it already is!

[Rael]

Why would anyone use this? Its more expensive than the real thing and you really have no idea what is in it

[JoshLowry]

It reminds me of the old defination of insanity .

http://i.imgur.com/8IgHX.jpg

:D

[amy31416]

One of the chemicals that will be banned:


HU-210, alongside other synthetic cannabinoids like WIN 55,212-2 and JWH-133, is implicated in preventing the inflammation caused by Amyloid beta proteins involved in Alzheimer's Disease, in addition to preventing cognitive impairment and loss of neuronal markers. This anti-inflammatory action is induced through the activation of cannabinoid receptors which prevents microglial activation that elicits the inflammation. Additionally, cannabinoids completely abolish neurotoxicity related to microglia activation in rat models.[11]
HU-210 is a potent analgesic with many of the same effects as natural THC.

Doing research on Alzheimer's or non-addictive painkillers? Prepare for it to get a lot more expensive and difficult.

[james1906]

How can some unelected bureaucrats unilaterally ban something?

I've actually used this stuff. With it being synthetic, there are different companies making different mixtures, so you don't really know what the effect is going to be if you try a brand for the first time. What sucks is now I'm probably going to stock up on it, and I'm already beyond broke as it is.

[amy31416]

How can some unelected bureaucrats unilaterally ban something?

I've actually used this stuff. With it being synthetic, there are different companies making different mixtures, so you don't really know what the effect is going to be if you try a brand for the first time. What sucks is now I'm probably going to stock up on it, and I'm already beyond broke as it is.

Well...the Fed doesn't have to check in with Congress before printing a couple billion. The President doesn't have to check in with Congress before going to "war." The TSA doesn't have to go to Congress for permission to grope us and take nudie shots. Why would the DEA need to go through Congress? There's a "war" on drugs, and that apparently means that we have almost zero recourse for what the gov't is doing with our money....

[idirtify]

I just got educated about this stuff last night by a credible user and there seems to be some misinformation in this thread. Compared to pot, it is not more harmful or more expensive – by a long shot. K2 Kush with the active ingredient called JWH-018 Naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone or (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole is one of the more popular products. The product (carrier-infused leaf) is about 10 times more powerful than pot (user needs ten times less), yet is priced way less than good pot. It is so much like pot in its effects that a 50-yr old user can not tell the difference – EXCEPT that there’s LESS of a “come down” (a good thing). And the common misperception that a synthetic is more harmful than a natural chemical is only “chemophobia”. This group of synthetic cannabinoids is as harmless as THC. And this stuff is extremely active! It only takes smoking one milligram (subtracting the leaf-carrier) to get hammered. And you can also buy the pure stuff at $30 per gram!!! For the mathematically-challenged, getting stoned every day for almost three years will cost you $10 a year.

Now on to the politics. The best evidence of harm the DEA can come up with consists of the good ole reefer-madness type of hype. Over 4000 incidents of emergency room visits in the country, a lot of concerned parents, and one supposedly related suicide. That’s all they have... Oh, except for the standard line “we just don’t know enough about it yet” (which they are still claiming for pot – one of the oldest drugs on the planet). And when you compare that in a rational way – to vastly higher emergency room visits resulting from HARMFUL prescription drugs, for example – it screams REEFER MADNESS. Basically, they have no evidence of harm.

Frankly, I’m disappointed in the lack of outrage over this here. This is extremely bad news. The liberty community should be all over this. This is in-your-face tyranny that has a direct and immediate impact on your lives (whether you use it or not). There is no greater danger in daily existence than drug prohibition. And if you still disagree and think it doesn’t rate high enough or concern you, go reread Martin Niemoeller’s quote. And there is no greater growth hormone to big government than drug prohibition; if one thing can be blamed for creating the behemoth we have today, it would be prohibition.

Well you have 30 days to buy up. If you ever wanted to try pot but didn’t because it was illegal, now is your chance. Hit the stores before they run out. But since the DEA’s announcement all over the MSM last night, the shelves will probably be empty by 9am Black Friday (tomorrow).

[amy31416]

I just got educated about this stuff last night by a credible user and there seems to be some misinformation in this thread. Compared to pot, it is not more harmful or more expensive – by a long shot. K2 Kush with the active ingredient called JWH-018 Naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone or (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole is one of the more popular products. The product (carrier-infused leaf) is about 10 times more powerful than pot (user needs ten times less), yet is priced way less than good pot. It is so much like pot in its effects that a 50-yr old user can not tell the difference – EXCEPT that there’s LESS of a “come down” (a good thing). And the common misperception that a synthetic is more harmful than a natural chemical is only “chemophobia”. This group of synthetic cannabinoids is as harmless as THC. And this stuff is extremely active! It only takes smoking one milligram (subtracting the leaf-carrier) to get hammered. And you can also buy the pure stuff at $30 per gram!!! For the mathematically-challenged, getting stoned every day for almost three years will cost you $10 a year.

Now on to the politics. The best evidence of harm the DEA can come up with consists of the good ole reefer-madness type of hype. Over 4000 incidents of emergency room visits in the country, a lot of concerned parents, and one supposedly related suicide. That’s all they have... Oh, except for the standard line “we just don’t know enough about it yet” (which they are still claiming for pot – one of the oldest drugs on the planet). And when you compare that in a rational way – to vastly higher emergency room visits resulting from HARMFUL prescription drugs, for example – it screams REEFER MADNESS. Basically, they have no evidence of harm.

Frankly, I’m disappointed in the lack of outrage over this here. This is extremely bad news. The liberty community should be all over this. This is in-your-face tyranny that has a direct and immediate impact on your lives (whether you use it or not). There is no greater danger in daily existence than drug prohibition. And if you still disagree and think it doesn’t rate high enough or concern you, go reread Martin Niemoeller’s quote. And there is no greater growth hormone to big government than drug prohibition; if one thing can be blamed for creating the behemoth we have today, it would be prohibition.

Well you have 30 days to buy up. If you ever wanted to try pot but didn’t because it was illegal, now is your chance. Hit the stores before they run out. But since the DEA’s announcement all over the MSM last night, the shelves will probably be empty by 9am Black Friday (tomorrow).

Thanks for the post, as I admitted up-front, I really am mostly clueless about the effects of this stuff--good or bad. And I don't buy for a second that it is a "temporary" measure.

Just out of curiosity, will it be illegal to possess after the 30 day mark, or just selling it will be illegal?