Last updated : November 18, 2024
A raid conducted in a tobacco shop in Dalton, Georgia resulted in the seizure of 30 pounds of synthetic marijuana. The engineered marijuana was being marketed in liquid form under the name Cloud Nine.
The retailer was selling it as incense, but authorities believe it is meant to be consumed using electronic cigarettes. The result is a virtually odorless product that can be consumed anywhere smoking is allowed without anyone being aware that a cannabinoid is being used.
It’s not the first time that law enforcement has been called in to deal with this relatively new liquid form of marijuana. Similar busts have been made across the U.S. and in Hawaii. A tobacco shop in Honolulu was getting $50 for two milliliter bottles of liquid synthetic marijuana. People who make the synthetic drug seem to always be ahead of the police, changing the formulation to skirt the law.
In Dallas and Austin, Texas, the problem of liquid synthetic marijuana reached a dangerous point when more than 100 people were admitted to hospitals after ingesting the drug. Seizures, hallucination and uncontrollable behavior were all reported as common symptoms. Doctors who treated the patients noted that many of them had to be restrained and that they exhibited all of the signs of psychosis.
People experienced these extreme reactions because the manufacturers of liquid synthetic marijuana have a practice of lacing the substance with other ingredients. It isn’t always easy for authorities to determine exactly what’s been put into the drug, which makes it difficult to treat patients or to determine how they will react after ingesting the manufactured marijuana.
This new threat is particularly frightening to parents. Because it’s virtually impossible to detect the presence of marijuana in electronic cigarettes, it’s possible for minors to be doing the drug in front of them without their knowledge. Even worse, the liquid form of synthetic marijuana is widely available for sale online. Though it may be listed as herbal incense, it is something else entirely, and there are no restrictions on these Internet sales. Underage people can easily buy the drug online without having to submit to any kind of identification check.
Manufacturers of illicit substances seem to be continuously innovating in an order to snag an increasing share of the drug trade. It is only with drug tests that it’s possible to determine if someone is using an electronic cigarette to smoke marijuana.
