A Legal Substitute??

There is all this fuss about a legal substitute for marijuana. This so called "fluff" or "spice," is a smoked substance that is supposed to give off a high similar to marijuana but is legal. I really didn't know much about the substance so I went and did a bit of research. "It was invented by Christopher Burmeister and the high it causes is believed to be caused by a mixture of synthetic cannabinoid drugs" (Synthetic Marijuana, 1). The ingredients attempt to mimic THC, but does it do the job? The answer is yes, politicians believe that the people of California that don't need marijuana for its medicinal uses should be satisfied smoking this instead because it is "less dangerous" and legal. They are right, it is legal, but it is unexpectedly dangerous. Some side affects include panic attacks, hallucinations, delusions, vomiting, increased agitation, and dilated pupils. Most politicians don't even know that the high gained from high grade spice is more than the high gained from regular marijuana. So my question is, why is this legal instead of marijuana. It has negative side affects and causes the same high as marijuana, at a heftier blow to the wallet than marijuana, but it seems to me that it is just as dangerous. more information can be found here: www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/23/synthetic.marijuana/index.html?hpt=Sbin