For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...

Synthetic cannabis is various legal herbs covered in synthetic cannabinoids, such as JWH-018.
http://en.wikipedi...Synthetic_cannabis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JWH-018

Plus sides include no positive drug tests, its legal to buy (in most areas, been banned in some states), and some of the synthetic stuff is way more potent than our THC producing friend.

Down sides include horrible taste/burn, unknown safety & potency, and the general stigma of smoking "fake weed".



For a person such as myself, who is drug tested regularly but enjoys smoking weed, this stuff is a god send. It might taste like potpourri, and burn like hot dragon breath, but it sure gets the job done.

Does anyone else have experience with these "weed alternatives"?

I've been reading a lot of accounts of people experiencing heart problems and severe shaking to the point where they couldn't walk from 15-50 mg doses of JWH-015. I'd be careful with the stuff if I were you, and personally I won't touch it.

Posted by Tyralus I've been reading a lot of accounts of people experiencing heart problems and severe shaking to the point where they couldn't walk from 15-50 mg doses of JWH-015. I'd be careful with the stuff if I were you, and personally I won't touch it.

Right, but that's the pure powder form of JWH. Usually it's heavily diluted in these products, although it still scared me a bit. I've tried it a couple times, didn't really like it though. Sure it got me high, but I was anxious, sleepy, and paranoid. I much prefer regular weed.. although I could see getting some from my local head-shop if I'm ever craving a bowl bad enough

Its all Made-In-China bullshit... I wouldnt touch the stuff.

Lots people go to the hospital thanks to K2/etc, but not so with weed.

If you have a job which requires drug testing, Id just take a nice long break from weed rather than smoke this crap

Posted by Louie Its all Made-In-China bullshit... I wouldnt touch the stuff. Lots people go to the hospital thanks to K2/etc, but not so with weed. If you have a job which requires drug testing, Id just take a nice long break from weed rather than smoke this crap

QFT

Any herb is better than this synthetic shit.

I actually just talked to someone who's cousin is the ceo of one of the synthetic weed companies. He said that on the west coast people add some crazy shit to their product (salvia for one) and let it soak in who knows what. He said the stuff around our area isn't nearly as bad, but he recommended not smoking it too often because they have no idea what the long term effects are.

I tried synthetic stuff twice. The first time was the stuff that the guy's cousin sold. It was alright. Felt a bit relaxed. The second time was a different brand. Called dog something I think. It tasted like shit I hated it.

So yeah, I'd rather have the real stuff or nothing at all.

So after smoking it several times, here is my mini-review:

So far, I've smoked 3 different types with a 4th soon to come. All 4 brands are called "K2". 3 were ordered on the internet, the 4th from a local headshop.

The 3 I've tried were (in order of ascending strength):

K2 Blonde
K2 Summit
K2 Ultra

The 4th I've haven't tried is:
K2 XXX

Each kind appears quite similar. Ground up, green leafy material. Whiteish crystals were easily visible on the Ultra. The Ultra was also "stickier", probably due to the sheer amount of crystals bonding things together.

Taste wise, the Blonde tasted the best, however it took quite a few hits to achieve a high. Still, "best" is only in relation to the other two. All 3 tasted like carpet cleaner or potpourri. A noticable chemical taste is present in the Ultra. Smoking from a water bong is *highly* recommended, as the smoke from all 3 were quite harsh (Ultra being damned near impossible to smoke from a joint).

The K2 XXX smells like artificial cherries...vaguely reminiscent of Robitussin. This stuff is sorta frightening. I see a few crystals on the leaves, but no where near as much as the Ultra.

Conclusion: I think it comes down to being careful with what you smoke and how much you smoke (just like any drug, technically). There are dozens of knock-off synthetic cannabis companies out there, but K2 seems to be the most "trustworthy". If you can't get real weed, or choose not to due to drug testing concerns, K2 isn't that bad. Just don't over-do yourself (it is stronger than your garden variety weed), use a water bong to help with the harshness, and be careful. It is 100% true we don't know the long term effects of synthetic cannibanoids, but the same could be said of other research chemicals. Could be completely harmless, or could cause cancer...we just don't know.


As far as salvia possibly being in this stuff, that doesn't worry me at all. A regular lighter doesn't get hot enough to vaporize salavornin-a (active chemical of Salvia). You need a butane lighter to effectively get high on salvia. Also, a tiny amount of leaves won't do shit...you would need 10x (or higher) salavornin-a extract to achieve the salvia high

DEA Moves to Emergency Control Synthetic Marijuana
Agency Will Study Whether To Permanently Control Five Substances




http://www.justice...srel/pr112410.html

Posted by WarBird69 As far as salvia possibly being in this stuff, that doesn't worry me at all. A regular lighter doesn't get hot enough to vaporize salavornin-a (active chemical of Salvia). You need a butane lighter to effectively get high on salvia. Also, a tiny amount of leaves won't do shit...you would need 10x (or higher) salavornin-a extract to achieve the salvia high

Well, I do know a thing or two about Salvia, and I'd like to jump in here. The active compound in Salvia Divinorum is called salvinorin A (or alpha), hence my name is "salalpha" ;)

A regular lighter is fine, as long as you hold the flame to it the entire time you toke. A water bong or pipe is definitely preferable to help cool the smoke.

Plain leaves are effective. Salvia has a reverse tolerance effect. With cannabis, you more you smoke, the less effective it becomes. The opposite is true for Salvia. People jump right in with the extracts and scare the shit out of themselves. If more people started with the plain leaf, Salvia would probably still be legal in some of the states that have chosen to make it illegal. If you're patient and are willing to ease into the experience, plain leaf is certainly effective. A 10x or even a 5x could be too much and send you into a deep trip that will most likely scare you off of Salvia for good, or at the very least, a long while.

There is too much misinformation about Salvia and that's why this great plant is being made illegal. The youtube videos definitely don't help either. Neither does a video of fuckin' Hannah Montana hitting a bong of Salvia.

Please do your research and respect Salvia if you choose to use it.

Lol you really named yourself after fucking salvia? I just dont see that being a drug I could get into, even if it wasn't the unpleasant mess that it was when I did it

Posted by insanebuslady Lol you really named yourself after fucking salvia? I just dont see that being a drug I could get into, even if it wasn't the unpleasant mess that it was when I did it

What dosage did you do? A large hit of a strong extract?

Most people don't take into consideration that Salvia contains the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen known to man. It is incredibly powerful and needs to be treated with respect.

That said, a lot of people don't enjoy it. It can be dysphoric and unpleasant. But it can also be the opposite if given a chance.

I tried Salvia once. I have an ounce of the leaves (no extra potency). I tried smoking it with my bong and used a butane lighter. I felt a bit relaxed and colors seemed a bit prettier, but that was all I felt. I've actually had this Salvia for over a year now. I'm not sure if it still can have any effect. The reason I haven't done it more is because I want to make sure I'm in a very peaceful state of mind when I use it. I'm usually pretty stressed out for one reason or another so that's why I haven't done it again yet.