Police warn of new potent marijuana drug 'Wax'

“If your son or daughter smokes marijuana, I’m sure they’re going to try this. So you need to stop it with the simple marijuana,” says Atlanta Police Department Narcotics Unit Supervisor Lt. Rick Mason. He says, “Whatever the effects of marijuana are, this would probably be 10-20 times as potent, for a very small amount.”

Lt. Mason is talking about a highly potent form of weed called “wax,” which is growing in popularity. HLN sat down with Lt. Mason and also an anonymous user, who goes by “Al,” to find out more about it. “Al” says that you have to have a plant in order to make “wax.” He adds that it’s about $30 for about a quarter-sized clump. You only need to smoke an amount about the size of a bb to get high. He says the substance is so strong that even the most experienced marijuana users can get really messed up. He’s seen people cough for a long time and even drool while taking it.

Lt. Mason says that the Atlanta Police Department frequently makes marijuana busts, but they haven’t come across “wax” much in the city. However, police in Roswell, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, say they made a “wax” bust recently. Police say the substance was being sold to high school students.

So if you’re a parent, how would you know your child is smoking “wax”? Well, “Al” says that it’s very messy. He says you have to keep it in the freezer so it doesn’t melt. If it melts, it gets all over everything, including carpet or clothing, and it’s very hard to get out. So if you see odd stains around, he says that could be a sign. Also, it’s typically smoked using a bong or a vaporizer. The vaporizer may not be as obvious, because it looks like an electronic cigarette. Also, you can carry the “wax” in a lip balm container because it blends in.

But “Al” says wax is hard to get ahold of. Whoever sells it would likely have to be growing marijuana plants. Typically, dealers sell the buds and throw away the leaves. But now they can make use of the leaves by extracting their oils, which contain high levels of THC. In other words, your kids probably won’t be making “wax” around the house.  And it’s good they won’t, because Lt. Mason says it’s very dangerous to make. The marijuana is placed into a long tube and then hit with highly flammable butane.

Lt. Mason says, “The price of marijuana has come down enough that I believe there’s less being smuggled in from Mexico, and I believe there’s more being grown locally…. We just try to keep the young kids away from it.” He says the most common drugs found in schools these days are marijuana and ecstasy. 

Watch the video above to find out more.

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Police warn of new potent marijuana drug 'Wax'