Public Health Advisory: Beware of toxic counterfeit RAW papers now sold throughout New Zealand

Counterfeit RAW papers, made in China, are now widely sold at New Zealand dairies, dollar stores, vape shops and liquor stores. They may be toxic. This article explains how to avoid them and why you should care. 

RAW is a US company that uses traditional hemp rolling paper makers in Spain. RAW papers are unbleached and/or organic, with hemp-derived natural gum. RAW burn slow, clean, and let you taste the terps. 

The Hemp Store is New Zealand's original stockist of RAW's all-natural, unbleached and organic rolling papers and accessories. We have stocked genuine RAW papers since they launched in 2005. We were the first to bring RAW to New Zealand, and we still import all our RAW supplies direct so we know they are the real deal.

We have increasingly become aware of counterfeit fake "Raw" papers widely sold in dollar stores, liquor shops, vape shops throughout New Zealand. 

We know of at least four distrubutors here in Auckland that are importing these fake "Raw" papers and selling these to dollar stores, liquor shops, dairies and even well-known nationwide vape chains. 

The pack says they are made in Spain from hemp, but the conterfeits are really made in China from paper not intended for smoking and that may contain heavy metals. The fake Raws are dyed brown to look "natural", and plastered with a chemical glue.

These fake Raw packs claim to be natural and organic, but that is not true. RAW actually got hold of some and had them tested in the USA; they found elevated levels of heavy metals, and chemical glues not intended for inhalation. The fake Raw papers sold in New Zealand could badly affect your health.

We have had customers tell us they unwittingly purchased these from elsewhere and got a bad taste, weird burning, strange ash, sore throats and even coughing up blood! 

How to spot a toxic counterfeit pack of RAW rolling papers

Authentic RAW papers now have a QR code so you can scan and check they are "Rawthentic". Unfortunately, however, the counterfeit fakes are also adding fake QR codes to fool unsuspecting consumers (we have seen counterfeits here in Auckland that have the rawthentic website and a QR code stating "Scan! Verify it's rawthenic"; scanning the QR takes you to a fake Raw website claiming your counterfeit is real).

If you suspect a RAW branded product is fake, you can check the Rawthentic website for the range of genuine RAW products. You'll see, for example, that RAW does not make the Raw-branded grinders and rolling trays sold widely throughout New Zealand, nor does RAW make "Connoissuer Kingsize with Pre-Rolled Tips". These fakes are also sold widely throughout New Zealand.

Checking the Rawthentic website will let you know if a product type is made by RAW, but it won't let you know if you have a counterfeit of a product that RAW makes. For that, you'll need to closely examine the pack.

It's not easy, but you can look out for: 1) spelling mistakes or punctuation errors; 2) flimsy packaging or missing watermark; 2) prices that are too cheap; and/or 3) they burn badly, taste weird and may make you cough blood. 

Spelling mistakes or punctuation errors

Chinese counterfeiters believe if they make one tiny change, they are no longer producing fakes but have instead invented a new product. So their packs of faKe "Raw" papers usually contain a deliberate spelling mistake, which may change between production runs - especially if word gets around that lets consumers identify their spelling mistakes. It is often the tiniest writing, and sometimes they join two words together as one word, which can be really hard to spot. For example, we have seen fakes in NZ that are missing the space in "a blend of natural fibres..." ("ablend"), or missing the space between moisten and gently ("moistengently"). 

Inferior packaging or missing watermark

Genuine RAWs have a criss-cross watermark that helps ensure even burning and prevents sideburns. Counterfeits may be missing this watermark, or it may be distorted. Additionally, genuine RAW products use sturdy packaging. Counterfeits may be flimsy or have poorly alinged seals or edges. Genuine RAW papers have sharp printing with clearly defined logos. The font style and logo is consistent across all genuine products. Counterfeit products often have blurry text, faded colours, or slight variations in font size and style. 

The price is too cheap

The fakes are often sold way too cheap, as the Chinese factories push them out at less than RAW's manufacturing cost, so that's an easy giveaway. Dollar store selling "Raw" for $2? That's a fake. However some stores are selling the toxic fakes at the standard price, to hide their origin, and are pocketing massive profits while selling toxic bunk. 

They taste weird or you cough badly

Unfortunately if you've got to this step, you've already smoked the toxic counterfeit "Raw" paper. If you notice it tastes weird, burns strangely, or has ash that is not smooth, you may have just smoked a toxic counterfeit. Stop immediately. Replace the fakes with genuine RAW papers from us. 

What you can do

1. Shop carefully from reputable stores like us. If your local store doesn't get RAW products direct from RAW, or won't name their supplier, or they carry so-called Raw products not found at Rawthentic.com, chances are they are counterfeits - and toxic. Tell them you won't buy their counterfeits. We recommend reporting any such instance to Product Safety (part of MBIE) to reduce the chances of it happening to yourself or to your fellow consumers. [Go to: Report an Unsafe Product Form]

2. If in doubt you can try burning a leaf of paper. Observe how it burns and check the ash. It should burn clean with no soot, no popping or cracking, and have white ash that is smooth when rubbed, You may also want to think twice before accepting a joint from someone - who knows if they have been sold toxic fakes? Stay safe by rolling your own. 

3. Take action and spread the word. Let RAW know if you think you purchased a counterfeit RAW product, using their online form or email RAW's legal dept at stopfakes@hbiin.com. Let your GP also know if you have any adverse health impacts or concerns, and ask them to record it in CARM. Adverse reactions to smoking and vaping can also be reported on the Ministry of Health's HARP platform. Call Healthline (0800 611 116) and the National Poisons Centre (0800 764 766) so they collect the data and know it's happening. Let NZ Product Safety know you have been sold a counterfeit item and tell them where you purchased it. Tell your friends and fellow consumers to beware. Most people have no idea these toxic counterfeits are widely sold in New Zealand. Do your mate a solid and let them know!

Aside from the health effects - which you should be really concerned about - RAW deserves to be fairly compensated for their innovations (so they can keep innovating!). They also give back, unlike the counterfeiters, providing substantial donations to cannabis and justice reform organisations. Buying genuine RAW products supports their "Raw Giving" programme. Buying counterfeits rewards the counterfeiters, and stores who don't care about your health. 

Please also feel free to let us know if you believe you have purchased counterfeit RAW products in New Zealand so we can get a more complete picture of the scale of the problem and any health effects on people unknowingly consuming these products. 

Thank you for caring!