Clemson University chemistry professor John Huffman was amused the first time someone called to talk about people smoking one of his lab projects to get high.

It's not so funny anymore.

As the use of K2, Spice and other drugs that are considered "fake weed" spreads across the country, Huffman is fielding more calls from police agencies, media and even from people who want instructions on how to make it.

"Quite frankly, it's become sort of a pain," he said.

While local law enforcement said they have not received reports of use in the Midlands, fake marijuana products are available in Columbia.

Legal in South Carolina, they are sold as incense under the names K2 and Spice.

Huffman, who has taught at Clemson since 1960, said he never intended for anyone to smoke his research projects.

Huffman and his students create compounds - known as synthetic cannabinoids - that mimic the effects of marijuana. The creations, he said, are used by other scientists in the pharmaceutical research industry.

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/103925...