"Sandblasted" cannabis - Nationwide warning!

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please do not read too much into this thread.. i am neither condoning nor condemning cannabis use, but came across this information and figured it was worth posting as this seems to be a legitimate health threat..

For those that didn't catch the last thread, here in the UK we have been suffering a drought which led to alot of "gritty" weed being distributed. It seemed the cannabis was getting coated in this strange, sandy substance to increase it's weight for profit.

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

an article on it was featured in the guardian over the weekend:

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.