The wiki article on “synthetic cannabis” mentions this:
There is controversy among calling herbal Spice and K2 synthetic cannabis, since none of the chemicals contained in the products are copies of anything found in Cannabis.
Derp. Of course not. There are only a few reasons why people would consciously refer to this stuff as “synthetic cannabis” or “synthetic marijuana”, neither of them are honest:
- By pretending this is a pot-substitute, the producer can con people in to buying something that isn’t anything at all like pot.
- Prohibition-mongers adopt this term because it serves their purpose, too: perpetuating a false sense of danger about a non-toxin like cannabis, by associating it with other more dangerous substances. This is the same reason they have to argue that pot is a “gateway drug”.
In both cases, the intention was never to accurately portray these compounds, but rather to create a false association between these compounds and cannabis. As a marketing ruse, this terminology is designed con people in to a false sense of security. As propaganda, it’s designed to instill fear of actual cannabis.
It is important to recognize lies and propaganda when you see them. It is also important to understand that so-called “designer drugs” only exist because of the prohibition on considerably safer alternatives, like actual cannabis.
