Forward from UKCIA’s forum regarding this contaminated batch of cannabis circulating in the UK at the moment…
THIS IS A ONE-OFF POST- PLEASE CIRCULATE. VERY IMPORTANT.
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 plant 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.
