4 ms·
The article undersells how potent "spice" is--up to 50,000 times stronger gram for gram than pure THC. You're in the LSD world of micrograms having effects, an
by fizx 8y ago
The article undersells how potent "spice" is--up to 50,000 times stronger gram for gram than pure THC.
You're in the LSD world of micrograms having effects, and also the research chemicals world of not knowing what you're getting.
The potency allows easier smuggling, where only a few grams at a time are imported, then diluted/cut on arrival. The ease of smuggling is perhaps the largest economic factor in the drug's rise.
- disgruntledphd2 8y agoMuch like heroin only became popular in the US following the criminalisation of opium. I suppose there are parallels with the current opioid epidemic these days, in that restriction tends to cause more problems than it solves (at least in this area of policy).
- drewmol 8y agoThis is an interesting phenomenon. Enforcment of prohibition and regulation of a substance is less effective as value to volume ratio increases, but as 'potency' increases so does public support for regulation/prohibition. In the US, THC is increasingly difficult to prohibit even in states that still try, partly due to the industrialization of creating concentrated forms, and it's relative ease of smuggling vs raw marijuana.