Black Mamba

Black Mamba

Street name

Spice, Bombay Blue, Bliss

General Info

Black Mamba is the brand name for a light green herbal product that tests show contains the synthetic cannabinoid AM-2001 and oleamide, an oleic acid. The most common Black Mamba product seen so far in the UK is a brand called Kanna.  AM-2001 is not currently controlled in the UK. Oleamide, a naturally occurring substance induces sleep in animals and is being studied as a potential treatment for sleep and mood disorders. It is not controlled in the UK. Some reports have suggested that Black Mamba is Damiana, a flowering shrub with various claimed properties, although tests disprove this so far. Practitioners should be aware that there is a strain of real cannabis called Black Mamba and an energy-burning product called Black Mamba or Hyper rush, aimed at bodybuilders (allegedly containing Epehdra).

Synthetic cannabinoids are chemicals that mimic the effects of the main active compound in cannabis, TetraHydroCannabinol (THC). These synthetic cannabinoids are usually sold in 'herbal' smoking mixtures, normally sprayed on to the plant material. To date, the plant material has just been used to carry the synthetic drugs and does not normally contain any tobacco or cannabis plant. Sometimes the smoking mixture may not contain any synthetic cannabinoids.

There are a large number of potential cannabinoids that can be synthesised, with JWH being the most common chemical family, and JWH-018 the most commonly known compound to date. A large number of products containing synthetic cannabinoids are Class B drugs, illegal to have, give away or sell.

As with other psychoactives, this product retails from head shops and online. AM-2001, one of the active ingredients, is also being sold in its own right, both by the gram and in wholesale amounts. Typically, Black Mamba users are reporting that they have paid £10 for a packet containing a gram, or £25 for a 3g packet.

The product itself looks like light green buds or herbal matter; no stalks or leaves are present although occasionally a very small red seed has been seen. When sniffed inside the packaging, a strong solvent / chemical smell can be detected, but there does not seem to be a strong smell on the buds themselves, nor does the product give off a strong odour when smoked.

Effects

• According to user reports, when smoked, the substance has ‘skunk-like’* qualities but is much more likely to cause powerful uncomfortable distortions in reality and hallucinations

* Skunk is a potent form of the cannabis plant which has high levels of

   TetraHydroCannabinol (THC)

Risks

• It may cause breathing difficulties,
• Vomiting
• Severe rashes
• A loss of control over some parts of the body

CLASS

Class B