Most everyone knows that marijuana is illegal in the United States, despite protests by many groups who claim that the drug should be legalized for various reasons. Thus, it’s understandable that many people try to seek out substances that give them the same high as marijuana, but without the legal repercussions. This lead to the invention of ‘herbal incense‘, or synthetic cannabis, which is a substance that can be smoked like marijuana, and produce a similar high, but lacks many of the things that makes marijuana illegal. Despite the moniker, ‘herbal incense’ is only partly composed of herbs. The rest is composed of a chemical compound that mimics the psychotropic side effects of cannabis.

HISTORY

The first brand name of herbal incense to hit the market was Spice, which went on sale in Europe in 2004. Spice was marketed and sold by the Psyche Deli, a now dormant company in London, UK, but soon enough, competitors sprang into the market, all bearing the name ‘Spice’ as well, which lead to the blend being referred to as ‘spice, no matter the actual name of the brand or manufacturer. Another brand soon appeared, marketed under the name ‘K2′, which also became another generic reference term for herbal incense.

COMPOSITION

Most herbal incense, in the beginning, had a mixture of herbs, usually Canavalia maritima, Nymphaea caerulea, Scutellaria nana, Pedicularis densiflora, Leonotis leonurus, Zornia latifolia, Nelumbo nucifera and Leonurus sibiricus, which are all listed on the original Spice packet. The initial claim was that these herbs would produce a mild high, similar to the effects of marijuana, but tests by a German lab soon discovered that the herbs, by themselves, didn’t contain the same molecules needed for the high. What the labs did find, however, was that there was the presence of synthetic tocopherol. This lead researchers to believe that the ingredients listed on the package were not actually in the drug, thus creating a risk factor for those smoking it, because they didn’t actually know what they were putting in their bodies.
Later, it was discovered that there were two previously undisclosed chemical compounds to herbal incense – CP 47,497, and JWH-018. After the discovery, it was found that several other compounds were present in herbal incense, prompting several countries to place the substances on Controlled Substance lists, or even to outright ban them.

LEGALITY

Since the discovery of the chemical compounds, many countries have begun the process of banning them, or making them illegal to sell. In most places, it is still legal to possess herbal incense that contains those compounds, but they are becoming increasingly rare to find. The compounds are now completely illegal in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the UK, it is now considered a Class B drug. In Australia, where the herbal incense was sold under the name Kronic, all synthetic cannabis compounds are now illegal. In the United States, however, the compounds are scheduled federally, while waiting for an official determination of its legal status. Many states, however, have banned the use of these substances, and recently, several Louisiana State University Football players were placed on suspension for testing positive for synthetic cannabis.

AVAILABILITY

Despite synthetic cannabis being banned and scheduled in most states, many forms of herbal incense are still available to buy online, and in headshops. Websites such as Legalbuds.com claim that their products are 100% legal, and only contain natural, and in some cases organic, products. Some of these products are still being marketed under the monikers of Spice and K2, but appear not to have the same ingredients as the previously banned substances.