Let no one say this state doesn't have the forward-thinking business leaders who can give the words "Made in Missouri" meaning someday. Yes, in years to come, you'll have scaled the heights of success, be sitting on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean, and the cabana boy will walk through the white sand toward your beach chair carrying a silver tray. As he presents the tiny treat, he'll assure you, "Our finest synthetic pot, sir, a beautiful 2011 K3, made in the rolling fields of western Missouri by their finest artisans." Oh, don't think you won't harrump approvingly at that!
This week's cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, written by The Pitch's own former staff writer Ben Paynter, chronicles the big business of mom-and-pop synthetic-pot manufacturers. A lot of it is stuff you already know if you read The Pitch (K2 product test, "Fake Reefer Madness," "Buzz Factory") but Paynter's story turns up some interesting details from law-enforcement officers who've been testing the drugs.
Among Paynter's sources is Jeremy Morris, a senior forensic scientist with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. Morris has been testing synthetic-pot blends, and here's what he found as Paynter writes it:
After testing more than 100 packets from different suppliers, Morris hasAll that mixing and matching means that, unlike real weed, your results are going to vary widely from bag to bag even within the same brand name, as is the toxicity and potential harmful effects.noticed a disturbing trend: There is no trend. The type and quantity of
mind-altering agents in many blends can vary not only between brands
but also between packets of the same stuff. He's found processors using
different synthetic cannabinoids anywhere from two to more than 500
times stronger than THC. Some target the CB1, others the CB2. Many
manufacturers are mixing multiple chemicals together to create signature
blends, forging new combinations.
