SO JUST HOW POTENT ARE OUR STREET DRUGS?

Anushka Asthana Went To South London With UKP100 And A Shopping List Of
Cannabis Varieties To Buy. 'You Can't Miss The Dealers,' Said A Friend

Cannabis is getting stronger and becoming more readily available, according
to popular belief. I set out into London last week with a shopping list in
one pocket and UKP100 cash in the other to find out the truth.

I was told to buy a mixture of hash, skunk, grass (or weed) and home-grown.
The idea was to get a variety of ingredients so we could have a look at
what the market had to offer and test potency.

Hash is a resin that a user will burn and crumble to smoke. Both hash and
weed are considered weaker forms of marijuana. Skunk has attracted much
publicity because of its reported high strength earning it the nick-name
'super-weed'.

It wasn't difficult to find what I was looking for, although it was
intimidating. Camden and Brixton are known as the best parts of London to
find street dealers. 'They stand along the street muttering "marijuana",'
one friend said. 'You can't miss them.'

At 6pm last Thursday, Brixton Tube station was full of people returning
from work; none of them looked like they had a few ounces of weed tucked
away in their coats. But within five minutes' walk of the Tube I saw two
likely candidates.

The men were standing in a darkened area set away from the road. Their
faces were partially covered by hoods and they were looking at something in
their hands. I decided to check them out by asking for directions to
another part of Brixton.

The pungent smell of skunk and the fact that I could see one of the men
holding a clump of it wrapped in clingfilm gave them away. 'I want to buy
some gear,' I said and reeled out the order. They were able to supply me
with two different types: skunk and 'white widow'.

White widow, they assured me, is one of the best types of marijuana you can
get. The white plant has a high level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which
is the active ingredient that makes the user feel high. I paid UKP20 each
for two small-looking wraps.

They were unable to supply the rest of the order but pointed me towards a
pub and described a man there who could help. Five minutes later I had
picked up the lot.

The next day, armed with five types of cannabis, all smelling strongly
inside my bag, I drove up the M1 to Derby where I handed my haul over to
Jim Campbell, the managing director of Surescreen, a biotechnology company
that carries out drugs analysis. Campbell, who once worked in a Home Office
forensic laboratory, is licensed to carry out the work.

'If I can see it I can test it,' he said when I told him I was concerned
about the size of the samples.

Campbell said he was surprised at the quality of the drugs, especially as
they had been brought off the street.

Home grown 'organic' skunk, which is grown in soil, was by far the
strongest containing 13.4 per cent of the active ingredient THC. At this
level, the effects of THC would be felt after just a couple of puffs on a
spliff.

Skunk normally carries between 7 and 15 per cent THC; samples with levels
of THC over 20 per cent are very rare. The strongest sample found in the UK
had 29.9 per cent. Campbell says that this, at double the potency of normal
skunk, is an exceptionally high level of THC and anyone who smoked it would
be incapacitated.

One cannabis user told The Observer that smoking strong skunk can leave
them 'very high, unable to move, in hysterics and sometimes seeing things'.

The sample that I was told was 'just skunk' came in next at 9.9 per cent
with white widow, which the dealer had assured me was so strong that I
would be coming back for more, coming in a disappointing third.

The grass had a THC level of 4.9 per cent and hash was the weakest at 4.3
per cent. Smoking a spliff at these lower concentrations would leave the
user mildly high and, more than likely, able to function fairly normally.

The results are similar to the levels that would be expected for the
different types of drug and, with the exception of white widow, which
didn't appear to quite live up to its promise, the street dealers I came
across did not rip me off at all.

Getting hold of reasonable quality marijuana on the streets of London is a
simple task - whatever the law.

Available on the streets - but how potent are they?

Hashish

Also known as cannabis resin or 'soap'. Percentage of active ingredient
(THC) 4.3. Price 1/8 ounce UKP10.

Home-Grown Skunk

Grown in soil without lights. Percentage of active ingredient (THC) 13.4
Price 1/8 ounce UKP20-UKP25.

Weed

Soil-grown plant, also known as grass. Percentage of active ingredient
(THC) 4.9. Price 1/8 ounce UKP10-UKP15.

White Widow

Marijuana strain, known for its high potency. Percentage of active
ingredient (THC) 8.2. Price 1/8 ounce UKP20-UKP25.

Super Skunk

Green leaf, strong odour. Known as 'super-weed'. Percentage of active
ingredient (THC) 9.9. Price 1/8 ounce UKP20-UKP25.