Thanks Rhodey. It's been a long time since I've been in this scene.
With soon-to-be teenagers, I feel a little more informed.
It's a helluva lot more complicated than when I was buying dime bags and watching people slice up power with a deck of playing cards.
This "spice" scene is a drug ****tail- that fits the current laws -sprayed on textures that people smoke to consume them. Many (small) suppliers work from home, as private suppliers to these businesses. Some are much more organised...like the smiley face package...Mr. Happy & Mr. Nice Guy. When I say that, it means that they are and/or might be chemists who have a beat on all of the changes in current law. In fact, they basically tell their suppliers not to worry when the new law comes down...they've already got new product to fit within the new laws. And they keep making it more potent. The first packages that came out were about $50 per gram and lasted about an hour. However, now they are inexpensive; $10-$15 for 3-5 grams; vary texture and potency.
It is sold as incense; not to be consumed. In fact, stores that sell it are not allowed to say/hint that it's for personal consumption...but everyone knows what it is being used for.
From an athlete's perspective, they should avoid this at all costs! It totally messes up the motor skills (e.g. speech, coordination, etc...) However, it takes a little while- 6 months to a year -for that effect to kick in. And the poisons will start seeping out of the body through the skin...like meth. It's quite addictive, particularly if one has been doing it for a period. The ingredients are typically not indicated on the packages, which change regularly.
Most people who smoke it are doing so because it's not checked for on drug tests. In addition, the fact that it's legal makes people believe that it is safe. So, let's have that, again: Somebody is mixing this sh*t up in their garage and spraying it on materials that are not good to ingest by themselves! I've heard rumours that some of the ingredients can be found under your sink; in cleaners. And one of the reasons why it's so difficult to nail down the ingredients is due to competition! (They don't want to give up their formula.) However, they are supposed to provide the breakdown- by law -to the shops that sell it. That way, if they get challenged, they can provide a document that demonstrates that it falls within the (current) laws.
FYI: I wrote a paper on this in graduate school; did a lot of research and validated everything. I'm just passing it along, so that others don't get involved in this
Lastly, in fairness to Jones, it looks so innocent behind the counter at some gas station. And that it's legal, has one saying: "Hey, let's check this out! What harm can it do? It's legal and being sold in a gas station." However, these places make a ton of money selling it; the bulk of their income; many thousands per month! And that ought to speak for its addictive qualities. The whole "fake/synthetic weed" tag is off the mark; enables it to be sold to the smokers. If one is aware of what I am documenting, they would probably pass. FYI: some will mix this stuff with marijuana.
