Shatter, a potent form of marijuana, turns up in New Minas bust
Glass-like substance can pose problems 'for even experienced users,' police say
Nova Scotia RCMP pulled a driver over for a cellphone infraction Wednesday night and then found a form of marijuana that's new to the province.
Officers stopped the car in New Minas and grew suspicious of the driver's behaviour. They searched the vehicle and say they found 100 grams of shatter, a small quantity of cannabis marijuana and cash.
It's the first time police have found shatter in Nova Scotia.
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Shatter is produced by extracting resin from marijuana. It looks and feels something like amber broken glass, police say, hence the nickname.
"It does tend to be more potent than normal marijuana. We're looking at a THC level of 80 to 90 per cent in some cases. It certainly can pose a dangerous health risk for even experienced users," said Cst. Mark Skinner.
Marijuana has a THC level of between 12 and 15 per cent, while hashish has a concentration of approximately 20 per cent.
He said marijuana is soaked in solvents to create shatter, and those solvents can be dangerous.
New Minas RCMP arrested the 21-year-old driver, a Bridgewater man, and charged him with possession for the purpose of trafficking and operating a vehicle while using a phone.