From “Whoa, researchers receive a huge federal grant to study synthetic marijuana” (the Cannabist):
The $2.7 million grant is from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse. Over five years, the seven-member UAMS team will study why synthetic compounds — such as K2 and Spice — are more toxic than marijuana.
Solid comment by myconaut:
These compounds are not “synthetic marijuana” at all, and in fact, bear no resemblance whatsoever to the cannabis plant, or to cannabinoids in general, apart from the fact that they are sprayed on green plant matter. These compounds are poisons, and cannabinoids are non toxic. An example of actual synthetic marijuana would be Marinol, which is synthetic THC. The term “synthetic marijuana” is simply a scare tactic prohibitionists use to somehow equate these dangerous substances with cannabis.
My comment there:
There are clearly better studies to conduct.
Poor alternatives to cannabis are apparently (at least generally) used by people needing to pass their employment drug test.
If our “rule of law” would be sane (and uncorrupted), then cannabis would be legal, so drug testing (and trying to work around it) would be avoided (at least for the most part) in the cannabis case.
Meanwhile, there are hundreds of cannabinoids and terpenes, but only a relative handful have been reasonably scientifically explained.
Obviously many more of those cannabis compounds need to be understood due to the wide variety of possible (inclusively highly relevant psychological) effects achieved by strain differential — a literally critical part of cannabis science that largely (at best) remains unfactored (at least based upon any article that I have read on cannabis sites such as this one over the past several years).
Additional comment:
More toxic than marijuana?
The fact is no experimental science proves any harm from moderate cannabis use, so declaring cannabis is toxic is an outright lie.
Science against cannabis merely suggests that “heavy use” and abuse may/can cause harm, while such research disclaims that more research is needed to solidify those questionable results then unethically turned into tough-talking affirmations to demonize a plant for the sake of funding sanctioned thuggery.
I am an honest freak (or reasonably responsibly balanced "misfit", if you prefer) of an artist working and resting to best carefully contribute towards helping society. Too many people abuse reasoning (e.g. 'partial truth = whole truth' scam), while I exercise reason to explore and express whole truth without any conflict-of-interest -- all within a sometimes offbeat style of psychedelic artistry.
Spirit Wave Journal 
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