abattoir dream, you are really missing the point here. this stuff is being called 'sand' because it appears to be a silica based substance, as yet noone has confirmed what it actually is. it would appear this 'sand' has been applied while the plant is still growing, as it is all through the bud and not just on the outside. such additives, like brix+, may add 200 gm to 1 kilo of dried bud, so in that case, every time you buy 1 oz of weed are getting 3/4 oz weed and 1/4 oz 'sand'. personally, i'd rather just have the weed!
same applies to the health implications, noone knows as yet. you seem to be saying, 'if i can't see it, it won't do me any harm'. if there is visible contamination, there may also be contamination which is not visible to the naked eye. perhaps some kind of fixing agent to hold the 'sand' in place.
as for, "if it doesn't cut your fingers...". you don't think the thin membrane lining of your lungs is anything like the thick skin on your fingers do you??? lol. and not everyone smokes their weed anyway.
this is not a joke or paranoid fantasy, it is all over the uk, probably as a result of the drought, and has been reported in some parts of europe as long ago as early 2005.
in my opion it's not worth buying, for a number of reasons, and the best thing to do is tell your dealer you won't buy it, but to let you know if anything else turns up.