Drug resembling honey sends three young people to hospital in Arzano: 17-year-old in intensive care
Three teenagers from Arzano admitted after consuming "wax", a THC concentrate with an amber appearance similar to honey. The youngest, 17 years old, is in critical condition.
"Wax" passed off as honey: three admissions in Arzano, minor in critical condition
Three young people from Arzano, in the Naples area, ended up in accident and emergency after consuming a substance known as "wax" — also called "getting high honey" or "honey oil" because of its gelatinous appearance and amber colour. Metropolitan.it reports. The youngest of the three, a 17-year-old boy, was admitted to intensive care with respiratory failure and is in critical condition.
Wax is a concentrate obtained by butane extraction of the active ingredient THC contained in cannabis flower. Unlike classical marijuana, which has THC percentages between 10% and 30%, the concentration of the cannabinoid in this substance can exceed 70% and reach peaks of up to 90%. According to initial reconstructions, the three teenagers would have needed to consume only a teaspoon of the substance to cause acute intoxication and the resulting shock.
The substance appears as a sticky resin of golden or amber colour, easily available online at relatively modest costs. One of the most widespread consumption methods is the so-called "dabbing": a small amount of wax is heated on a very hot metal surface, producing vapour to be inhaled through special devices.
Reported effects include intense euphoria, strong relaxation, altered perception of time and space, and reduced capacity for attention and coordination. In more serious cases there can be increased heart rate, anxiety, agitation, paranoia, mental confusion and hallucinations. A further risk is linked to artisanal production: traces of the solvents used to extract THC can remain in the final product, which are harmful to health.
Metropolitan.it recalls that the wax case is not an isolated incident in the landscape of drugs disguised as common products. Last September, in Sant'Antonio Abate, also in Campania, around fifty bottles of "fumello", an artisanal liqueur based on marijuana, were seized. Previously there had been reports of narcotics conveyed through electronic cigarettes and wine bottles. The tendency to conceal psychoactive substances in everyday consumption formats appears to be increasing, according to the authorities.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)