According to a report from La Sicilia on August 11th, Italian authorities discovered two devices containing highly potent cannabis resin in an operation in Catania. These devices could pose a potential danger to public health.
The drug market constantly introduces new products in an attempt to evade law enforcement crackdowns. In an apartment located between Giuffrida Street and Vulcania Street, authorities seized two e-cigarettes, also known as svapo, and a small quantity of amphetamines and other narcotics. This is a new development in the Catania black market for drugs.
These devices, originally intended as alternatives for nicotine addicts, have instead become tools for "getting high". Furthermore, compared to regular marijuana, they have a stronger numbing effect, possibly even double that of skunk and amnesia marijuana.
E-cigarettes are equipped with a capsule containing viscous oil. In subsequent testing, highly concentrated cannabis extracts were found to contain a very high percentage of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Therefore, these devices are referred to as "drug bombs.
The second part of the investigation will involve inquiries into the "caretakers" and supply channels related to the products. Who manufactures them? Who delivers them to Vulcan's Shadow? What are their prices? All of this information needs to be clarified.
This is the first time that the city has confiscated these "super" e-cigarettes. Several months ago, police in Novi Ligure, Piedmont, discovered and confiscated 11 similar e-cigarettes.
Last May in Ascoli, authorities confiscated equipment containing high levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in cannabis oil. The results have been entered into the National Early Warning System (Snap), which is a police scientific laboratory and forensic toxicology network that can identify new phenomena related to the emergence of new psychoactive substances in Italy and traditional methods of consuming narcotic substances that may pose a danger to public health. Information sharing between different investigative offices may help trace the supply chain. According to research from some publicly available sources, it appears that this equipment was produced in the United States and sold through the dark web.
This method is truly clever: even smoking an e-cigarette in public is certainly less likely to attract attention than smoking "traditional" marijuana. It could also potentially become a way to disguise marijuana use within the household. Considering the high concentration of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which has very potent psychoactive properties and significant sedative capabilities - they could truly become very dangerous.
These devices heat anesthetic substances and transform them into vapor, preserving more of the cannabis' active ingredients compared to burning herbs. Following the widespread nightmare of cocaine among teenagers, there may be another urgent situation of adolescent drug dependence. Investigators explain, "These devices are becoming popular as alternatives to traditional cannabis, they are easy to use, have very high psychoactive ingredients, and significant anesthetic capabilities".
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