Ingredients of legal weed

Is fake weed harmful? Yes, fake weed ingredients can cause harm. The active compound present in legal weed is a synthetic cannabinoid(s). More here.

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What are ethnobotanicals? Do ethnobotanicals have psychoactive properties?

Ethnobotanicals are plants and herbs used by societies for medicinal and spiritual purposes.  Many do not have psychoactive properties but others, such as Kratom and Salvia, had (and still have) very definite psychoactive properties. Kratom long term effects such as skin problems and health issues made it clear to me early on that these substances were addictive.  But what about today’s legal weed?  What’s in it?  And can legal weed hurt you?

Ingredients in legal fake weed

1. Ethnobotanicals

2. Liquid synthetic cannabinoids

A few years ago, I looked at the ingredients list on a packet of legal fake weed (a brand that had been in the media spotlight due to the fact that it was claimed by users to be more powerful than the ‘real thing’) and saw that it was apparently made from a selection of ethnobotanicals that I had written of as ineffective during my psychonaut years: Baybean, Blue Lotus, Lion’s Tail, Lousewort, Indian Warrior, Dwarf Skullcap, Maconha Brava, Pink Lotus, Marshmallow, Red Clover, Rose, Siberian Motherwort, Vanilla, and Honey. I had seen these before. But there was another ingredient that was not included on the ingredient list. Another ingredient that makes fake weed weed-like.

There is no doubt that ethnobotanicals are ingredients of legal fake weed, but they are merely fillers. There is one major ingredient that the manufacturers have omitted, the active compound that makes it all happen: A synthetic cannabinoid. I say ‘a’ synthetic cannabinoid; because it is impossible (unless you have a laboratory to hand) to know which one exactly, as there are so many cannabinoids that all mimic (to a greater or lesser degree) the effects of THC, the active principle of cannabis. So when you open your packet of legal fake weed, what you’re seeing (and smoking) is a selection of otherwise useless plant material either drizzled with or soaked in a liquid synthetic cannabinoid.

Is fake weed harmful?

We don’t know. As the authorities clamp down on legal fake weed, its manufacturers are hard at work creating new synthetic cannabinoids so they can bypass legislation. None of these new cannabinoids have been tested on humans and some of the more potent varieties are said to be ten times more powerful than THC.

Users have reported all kinds of side effects from using legal fake weed (synthetic cannabinoids) including nausea, paranoia, hallucination, anxiety, panic attacks and addiction. Another problem is that, unlike marijuana, it takes a while for the effects to appear and the impatient may end up smoking too much with dire consequences.

Nobody knows the long term effects of these synthetic drugs and the youth of today are essentially guinea pigs. At least with marijuana we have many years’ data of the effects of its use at hand but as long as it is illegal, unscrupulous manufacturers will continue to produce new and potentially destructive drugs that mimic it and curious teenagers will continue to consume them.

Legal weed questions

As a teenager, I fancied myself as a bit of a psychonaut. I would try anything and hoped it would get me high…not just any normal high but a new and exciting buzz to add to my drug travelogue. During this time, I came across many ethnobotanicals: Blue Lotus, passionflower, Salvia Divinorum, Kratom, Nutmeg, Skullcap, and Valerian root were just some I experimented with.  But today’s legal weed is no longer potpourri.  Legal weed is a dangerous blend of cooked up synthetic cannabinoids that are not regulated sprayed on plant materials.  So, if you need help…please ask!  Do you have questions about legal fake weed? Please leave them here or send us an email. We answer all questions personally and promptly.

About the author
Charles Somerville is the writer of The Alcoholism Guide, a website that looks at alcoholism in all its forms and the effects of alcohol abuse on mental and physical health.
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