It gives you a powerful high, is impossible to detect, and is legal.
So claim the distributors of Nitro Grass, whose website boasts that its product is 100 percent legal and creates a high similar to that of dagga.
The website says the product has been on the market for a decade, although it arrived in South Africa only last November. It sells for between R40 and R70 per 1.25g “banky”.
Although the website claims that the product is made from the finest natural ingredients, its botanical origin or content doesn’t appear on the packaging or the website. The site also does not make mention of any side-effects, but says “it leaves you more alert and active than its alternatives”.
But Claire Savage, a senior information official at South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (Sanca) cautioned consumers to be wary of false advertising.
“Remember that advertising latches on to words that entice people to try it, but it is not necessarily based on the active properties of the product.
“I honestly haven’t seen or heard about it, but maybe now with schools opened we will hear about it.”
She said an obvious side-effect would be damage to a person’s lungs. “We all know that if there is smoke, there is some form of pollution taking place, and you are damaging your body even if there are no drugs involved. Smoking is generally not green.”
Nitro Grass is available at selected restaurants and tobacco stores in KwaZulu-Natal, with only one store selling the product in Gauteng so far.
On the product’s Facebook page, comments from some of those who have tried it say “what a buzz” and “hey hey, is this s**t for real yol?” (sic)
Reporters who bought the product in Durban were told it only arrived in stores last week. They were told the high was similar to, but not as potent as, that from dagga.
UKZN botanist Professor Himansu Baijnath suggested Nitro Grass was a synthetic cannabinoid made in a lab. “It sounds like they use plant product and spray it with synthetic cannabis that, when burnt or inhaled, will give you that relaxed ‘out of it’ effect.”
It appeared to be a mix of material, he said.
“There are seeds and narrow leaves. There are at least half a dozen materials in here so it is very difficult to say because some of it is crushed.”
Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said they were unaware of the product.
“For all we know, it could be a hoax.”
- Weekend Argus