Sadly this correspondent's greatest thrill these days comes from watching Hawthorn premiership DVDs while wearing a pair of Junior Rioli's discarded game-day socks.

So if someone came along with cannabis-like product that mimicked pot, was borderline legal, and wouldn't be detected on drug tests it would be too good to be true.

That's right – it is too good to be true.

Synthetic cannabis is sold as harmless herbal incense branded as "not for human consumption". In reality the waiver is a cynical get-out clause to try to protect those profiting from the lucrative artificial pot market.

Experts at the Victoria Institute of Forensic Medicine are examining three mysterious deaths linked to synthetic cannabinoids.

The deaths, all recorded in a four-month period in 2013-14, involve young, apparently healthy subjects with no obvious cause of death.

The head of Forensic Sciences and chief toxicologist, Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos, says the common denominator was the presence of synthetic cannabinoids.

The three deaths (two males and a female) involve victims aged 15 to 35. In each case an autopsy failed to find a cause of death.

It was only because packets of artificial cannabinoids were found near the victims that specific toxicology tests were conducted.

Which means no-one knows how many deaths involve synthetic cannabis in cases where the tests were not ordered.

"There may be more because we do not routinely screen for them. We just don't know," says Gerostamoulos.

He says there are up to 400 different types of cannabinoids that range from "potent to useless." He says they were developed as alternative pain relief for end-stage cancers and patients on high-dose chemotherapy.

One of the cannabinoids, PB-22, was found in the Melbourne deaths. "It was the only substance found in all three cases," he says. "It is our suspicion that it is linked to the deaths. They were all apparently fit and healthy with no known medical conditions."

In a report to the Journal of Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology, Gerostamoulos and his team wrote, "We remain unsure about the contribution of PB-22 to these deaths, however all three deaths occurred at home in the setting of using this drug with no other competing cause of death identified.

"We feel it important that practitioners be aware so they can alert patients who may be experimenting with or using designer drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids. The safety of these substances is largely unknown; and those with an existing heart condition may be at risk of sudden death when using drugs which can produce unwanted increases in heart rate and blood pressure."

A spokesperson for acting State Coroner Iain West said an inquest in one case had been completed with the cause of death unascertained. "The court is currently investigating the remaining two deaths. The coroners will consider all the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the complete medical examiner's reports, along with medical and forensic expert opinions, to determine the probable cause of death. At present, it is too early to conclude that PB-22 contributed to the deaths still under investigation, however, such an explanation cannot be ruled out."

A US study from one toxicology lab between July and October 2013 found four deaths (males aged 17, 18, 19 and 27) where cannabinoid PB-22 were found in the victims.

The report said, "The consumption of synthetic cannabinoids and related products has been linked to adverse effects including agitation, confusion, hypertension, respiration issues, seizures, tachycardia, paranoia, hallucinations, psychoses and acute kidney injuries."

This is one lab in one state and so no-one knows how many people have died from the products.

The science is inexact but everyone agrees this stuff is toxic.

Gerostamoulos says victims may have had pre-existing but undiagnosed medical conditions such as high blood pressure or heart disease that proves fatal when combined with the synthetic drug.

"There has been no studies on the long-term effects but there must be a probability it will be harmful."

In January two men aged 33 and 41 died in Mackay after smoking synthetic cannabis branded as Full Moon Tea.

One of the victims collapsed and died after just one puff, according to local police.

It seems particularly popular in the area  –  doctors declaring earlier this year they were dealing with a patient a day poisoned by artificial weed.

And so we go to the man who should be full bottle on these strange products. Professor John W Huffman is the retired Clemson University organic chemist ,whose legitimate research on synthesised cannabinoids has been hijacked by those looking for marijuana-like highs.

When it comes to this stuff it is clear Huffman is no Puffman and he is adamantpeople should not experiment with these experimental substances.  He has been quoted as saying, "People who use it are idiots. It's like playing Russian roulette. You don't know what it's going to do to you."

Some US experts say the synthetic drug only mimics marijuana but works on the body and brain in a different and dangerous way with one estimating it is 100 times more powerful than cannabis.

And yet it is clear the manufacturers are selling the product as fake dope. Why else would it be branded with names such as Buddha and Amsterdam Gold when they are supposedly herbal teas?

They are anything but a natural commodity, usually produced by the unqualified, sold by the unscrupulous and used by the unhinged.

According to The Australian Drug Foundation, "These powdered chemicals are mixed with solvents and added to herbs and sold in colourful, branded packets. The chemicals usually vary from batch to batch as manufacturers try to stay ahead of the law, so different packets can produce different effects even if the name and branding on the package looks the same."

"People with mental health conditions or a family history of these conditions should avoid using synthetic cannabis. The drug can intensify the symptoms of anxiety and paranoia."

Not exactly a healthy alternative to a muesli bar you would think. Yum-yum.

There is no quality control, the chemicals are sprayed on dried plant matter by hand to look natural and stuck in a package, then sold online or through some sex shops and a few tobacconists.

Two years ago five people in Melbourne who used a brand named after reggae star Bob Marley ended up in intensive care after smoking the stuff.

Last week in this column we reported that police suspect there are up to 1500 cannabis grow houses in Victoria and Melbourne has become the dope capital of the country.

Police say organised crime syndicates are producing literally truckloads of cannabis in a $1.5 billion industry that seems to be supplying a fair slice of Australia.

So if we are awash with weed why would people use a synthetic alternative?

Maybe it is because they think it is legal. Or probably the attraction is it doesn't show up on driving or work related drug tests.

While cannabinoids are banned in Victoria producers are always trying to slip under the radar.

Head of the Drug Task Force Detective Inspector Phil Harrison said the products compounds and brand names were constantly changing. He said police chemists worked quickly to identify rebrands and new cannabinoids but "we are always playing catch-up".

Assistant Commissioner (crime) Steve Fontana said police scaled up work on synthetic cannabis about 18 months ago when a group of people were hospitalised. "They are really quite dangerous."

Actually police have bigger fish to fry than to devote limited resources to people stupid enough to fry their brains with a potentially toxic product.

We have an ice epidemic that is creating major problems for police, fuelling domestic crime and adding to family violence, a disturbing resurgence in heroin and a massive cannabis industry.

Detectives try to concentrate on those making the profits but we cannot expect police to save us from ourselves.

Australians have a history of using drugs, both legal and illegal, from alcohol, to cocaine in the 1920s, heroin in the 1970s, speed in the 1980s to ecstasy, Ice and back to cocaine.

If there ever was a war on drugs it has been lost. If it is an illness then it is about helping the survivors.

Police are trying to catch the big fish but when the best trout is taken from the prime feeding spot, the next day the second best will have taken its place.

Where there is money to be made, there will be crooks. It is the nature of the beast.

The job of police is to lock up criminals not to stop large sections of the community making dumb decisions.