Matthew Wielenga has become king of `legal weed’ but this successful entrepreneur is reluctant to be seen as the face of a new phenomenon. Jonathan Marshall investigates.
RECORDING DEVICES, photographers and prying journalists aren’t welcome inside the concrete compound on Auckland’s North Shore where Matthew Wielenga’s Kronic empire – staff count 40 and climbing – is based.
The media aren’t what he’s worried about – they are a kind of ally, part of the company’s proven marketing strategy.
“I haven’t spent a cent on marketing this stuff apart from a few posters.
“Every time someone does a story we just get bigger and bigger. We have had literally millions in free marketing.”
The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) agreed, stating in their November 2010 report on synthetic cannabinomimetic substances, that such coverage “may have increased the recognition of, and demand for, these types of products”, the basis for a multimillion-dollar industry that has already surpassed the success of BZP tablets, or party pills.
Wielenga said a recent Campbell Live item, in which reporter Tristram Clayton got “off his head” on Kronic, was “by far our best advert yet”.
It is gangs, Wielenga tells the Sunday Star-Times, he needs to maintain his distance from – and he doesn’t want media feeding them too much intelligence.
“My personal safety is at risk… the main thing on my mind is my security. That is more important than money.
“The nature of what we are selling means we are getting very close to the line. It’s a bit scary. We are treading on their toes in a big way, really starting to get into the market to the point people are buying Kronic instead of weed [marijuana].”
Yes it is true, people are getting high on bath salts. Not just regular bath salts, but designer drugs labeled as bath salts. They are chemicals such as MDPV, Mephedrone and Methylone. While these drugs are legal in most states, they are quickly being banned on a state-by-state level. With in the next 12 months it is likely that all 50 states will have banned chemicals labeled as bath salts.
Kids are doing it and adults are doing it. It is so widely available and potent that it is becoming an epidemic. It has been highly publicized in the news where bath salts are blamed for crimes such as murder, rape and robbery. Some people are committing suicide while on bath salts. Needless to say, these people have a history of drug and psychological problems.
(Reuters) – Another midshipman was expelled from the U.S. Naval Academy for using or having a banned marijuana-like substance known as “spice,” bringing the total number expelled to 12, officials said.
In January and February, 11 students were expelled as a part of an ongoing investigation into the violation of the Naval Academy’s zero tolerance policy regarding illicit drug use or possession.
The Texas Senate Thursday passed a billl outlawingK2 incense, which made Wichita Falls prosecutor John Gillespie happy.
In December of 2010 Gillespie exhorted lawmakers to make the synthetic marihuana illegal while at the same time vowing to prosecute anyone who drove impaired while under the influence of K2 incense.
The fake pot has emerged as a major catalyst of tragedy for teen-agers in Wichita Falls, Texas, as well as in other cities across the Lone Star State. K2 incense has been especially popular among teenagers in Texas.
(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – You can add another southeast Indiana community to the list of those which will no longer allow the sale of Spice. Lawrenceburg City Council voted this week to pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale of substances containing synthetic cannabinoids. The Lawrenceburg ordinance also outlaws the use of the substances in public places.
“One of my friends couldn’t function for like 30 seconds; like she couldn’t talk,” said Laura, 22, about a designer drug most commonly known as K2 incense.
For those who seek a marijuana-like high legally, synthetic marijuana has been an option since the early 2000s. A mysterious substance packaged with little description in head shops, disguised as incense, called “K2”, Spice, Red X Dawn, or a variety of others, is no longer slipping under the radar, as of March 1.
HOUSTON (KTRK) — Synthetic marijuana has been banned in communities across the country and now the state of Texas is taking a hard stance against it. Synthetic marijuana has been banned in communities across the country and now the state of Texas is taking a hard stance against it. The Texas Department of State Health Services has now classified K2 incense, Spice, and other synthetic marijuana products as a controlled substance — making it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess and sell the substance. Effective April 22, it will be a class A or B misdemeanor.
The Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday that it is outlawing marijuanalike substances commonly found in K2 incense, Spice, “herbal incense” and other synthetic marijuana products. The ban takes effect Friday.
It will be illegal to make, distribute, possess or sell those substances. Penalties are Class A or B misdemeanors, according to a news release posted on the health department’s website.
The action follows the lead of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which prohibited the substances March 2, health department spokeswoman Christine Mann said. State law requires the health department to consider banning any substances the DEA has forbidden, she said.
Starting Friday, the Department of State Health Services says it is outlawing all marijuana-like substances.
Under a new ban set to take effect, it will be illegal to make, distribute, possess or sell K2 incense, Spice, Herbal Incense, and other synthetic marijuana products.
Penalties will be Class A or B misdemeanors.
The action follows the lead of the Drug Enforcement Administration which prohibited the substances back in March.
Amarillo, Texas – Today begins the ban in Texas on several synthetic marijuana-like substances found in products like K2 incense, also known as Spice. The Texas Department of State Health Services is making it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess, or sell the five banned compounds.
It’s marketed as an herbal incense and produces similar effects as smoking marijuana. It’s easy to find and cheap to buy. Smoke shops, gas stations, and the Internet sell it for as little as $10 a gram.
Synthetic marijuana products known as K2 incense or Spice have been outlawed in Texas, state health officials said.The ban became effective April 22 after officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services placed five synthetic cannabinoids under a controlled substances category, which makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess and sell the substances.
K2 incense or Spice is sometimes marketed as herbal incense at smoke shops, gas stations and the Internet, and produce effects similar to those of marijuana.
Penalties range from a $2,000 to $4,000 fine and jail terms between 180 days to a year, officials said.
Until this school year, a freshman, who wishes to remain anonymous, thought of incense as something that simply smells good. So, when her friends asked her if she wanted to smoke it with them, she was a bit caught off-guard.
“I was like … ‘Is this legit? Is this what you’re supposed to do with it? Or is this just something you came up with on your own?’” she said.
The synthetic cannabinoid, which goes by several names, including “Spice,” “K2 incense” and “Genie,” is ultimately intended for consumption, said Chris McHenry, a Sacred Heart Emergency Room registered nurse.
The DEA’s campaign to ban Spice and K2 incense products received a boost from the San Diego Naval Medical Center, which reports 15 sailors were hospitalized after smoking synthetic pot last year. But Dr. Julie Holland tells CelebStoner, “There’s nothing really new here.”
The Med Center claims Spice and K2 incense cause paranoia, confusion and hallucinations, and that the side effects can continue for several days.
Stoners like to celebrate their “national pot day” annually on April 20 — based on the notion that police in California used 4-20 as a numeric code decades ago to indicate they were busting marijuana dealers and users. But last week, the State of Texas celebrated April 20 in a different way: The Texas Department of State Health Services chose that day to announce that, by agency policy, it is banning five of the many chemical compounds that are used to create “fake pot.” The ban took effect two days later.
