Contaminated Cannabis, sometimes known as grit weed, terrorist weed or simply

'contam', is a growing issue both in the UK and across Europe. It has been
recorded since before the start of 2007, and is just as prevalent now, if not more
so, than it was then.

Cannabis has been found to be contaminated with a number of different substances,

including but apparently not limited to the following:

- Large Glass Particle Contamination

- Industrial Etchant Spray Contamination
- Sugar or Sand Contamination
- Micro Contaminants (stealth grit)

Even more worrying is that Cannabis has been found contaminated with
homosildenafil and thiohomosildenafil, both belonging to the same family of drugs
as Viagra, and in some instances has even been found to be contaminated with LEAD
which is highly toxic.

I personally do not feel that people are taking these risks seriously when dealing
with contaminated cannabis, both as dealers and users. For example, The New
England Medical Journal of April 2008, stated that,

"Recently, during a period of 3 to 4 months, 29 patients (16 to 33 years of age)

were admitted to four different hospitals in the greater Leipzig area (population,
approximately 650,000) with classic signs and symptoms of lead intoxication.
Twenty of these patients were admitted to our hospital (University Hospital
Leipzig), 16 on an emergency basis (Table 1). The patients presented with
abdominal cramps, nausea, anemia of varying severity, and fatigue. Most patients
had basophilic stippling and a “Burton’s line,” and some had neurologic symptoms.
In other hospitals, one patient had severe encephalopathy with hallucinations and
peripheral neuropathy with permanent extensor palsy in the forearm, and another
patient underwent exploratory laparoscopy."

All of these cases of lead intoxication were traced back to contaminated cannabis
that the patients had smoked. Another common medical danger is Silicosis, an
ailment caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust, which can cause
irreparable damage to the respiratory system. It is evident then that the dangers
are devastatingly real when dealing with contaminated cannabis.

So what can you do about contaminated cannabis? The answer is simple really -
don't buy, sell or smoke it. If those three things stop, the markets will drop off
and it will fizzle out. The fact of the matter is that if you buy contaminated
cannabis, you are funding criminals with absolutely no regard for the safety of
yourself and fellow cannabis users. If you smoke contaminated cannabis, you are
putting yourself at risk of serious medical problems, and at the very worst, the
possibility of death. If you sell contaminated cannabis then you are putting your
customers' lives at risk, and you are furthering what can only be described as a
dangerous and inconsiderate practice.

Thank you for reading this - please pass it on to anyone you know who smokes or
sells cannabis so that they can remain safe in this increasingly dangerous
climate.

- J.D.Holman (www.facebook.com/joeholman)

Sources:
Cannabis Culture Magazine (http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4907.html)
UKCIA: (http://www.ukcia.org/) (http://ukcia.org/wordpress/?p=6#comments)
(http://ukcia.org/wordpress/?p=39)
Gritweed: (http://www.gritweed.co.uk/index.htm)
Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis)

Disclaimer: I do NOT condone, promote or incite the use of illegal and/or

controlled substances. By section 6 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 it is an
offence to cultivate any plant of the genus Cannabis in the United Kingdom without
a license from the Secretary of State. Anyone committing an offence contrary to
this section may be imprisoned or fined, or both.