What about Synthetic Drugs?:
Oct 16,
2014
Drug
type: Synthetic Drugs
According to a new report by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the number
of emergency department visits involving synthetic marijuana have more than
doubled — from 11,406 in 2010 to 28,531 in 2011.
Emergency department visits among those aged 12 to 17 involving synthetic marijuana — such as K2 or Spice — doubled from 3,780 visits in 2010 to 7,584 visits in 2011. Visits among those aged 18 to 20 quadrupled from 1,881 visits in 2010 to 8,212 visits in 2011.
In 2011, males accounted for almost 79 percent of all emergency department synthetic pot-related visits. There was a threefold increase between 2010 and 2011 of emergency department visits involving females using synthetic marijuana.
Like all synthetic drugs, the effects are different for each user. The reported negative effects of synthetic pot include severe agitation, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, racing heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, tremors, seizures, paranoid behavior, unresponsiveness and death. Regular use can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
“Synthetic cannabinoids are a growing public health risk – made even more dangerous by the widespread misconception that they are safe and legal,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “These injury reports compel us to get the word out to all segments of the community – especially youth – that these products can cause significant harm.”
SAMHSA is working to prevent synthetic marijuana use. Many states are providing prevention education to local communities, such as webinars and fact sheets for parents and other adults on the signs and symptoms of synthetic marijuana use. Questions have been added to school surveys to determine how often and how much youth are using fake pot.
In addition, SAMHSA’s Division of Workplace Programs has a list of Department of Health and Human Services-certified laboratories that can test for synthetic cannabinoids.
In July 2012, The Synthetic Drug Prevention Act of 2012 was enacted, which specifically prohibited the sale or possession of some synthetic cannabinoids. The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and nearly all the states have taken some regulatory action against these products once they have been identified. However, manufacturers of these substances continue to modify their chemical structures in an attempt to evade current laws.
Emergency department visits among those aged 12 to 17 involving synthetic marijuana — such as K2 or Spice — doubled from 3,780 visits in 2010 to 7,584 visits in 2011. Visits among those aged 18 to 20 quadrupled from 1,881 visits in 2010 to 8,212 visits in 2011.
In 2011, males accounted for almost 79 percent of all emergency department synthetic pot-related visits. There was a threefold increase between 2010 and 2011 of emergency department visits involving females using synthetic marijuana.
Like all synthetic drugs, the effects are different for each user. The reported negative effects of synthetic pot include severe agitation, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, racing heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, tremors, seizures, paranoid behavior, unresponsiveness and death. Regular use can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
“Synthetic cannabinoids are a growing public health risk – made even more dangerous by the widespread misconception that they are safe and legal,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “These injury reports compel us to get the word out to all segments of the community – especially youth – that these products can cause significant harm.”
SAMHSA is working to prevent synthetic marijuana use. Many states are providing prevention education to local communities, such as webinars and fact sheets for parents and other adults on the signs and symptoms of synthetic marijuana use. Questions have been added to school surveys to determine how often and how much youth are using fake pot.
In addition, SAMHSA’s Division of Workplace Programs has a list of Department of Health and Human Services-certified laboratories that can test for synthetic cannabinoids.
In July 2012, The Synthetic Drug Prevention Act of 2012 was enacted, which specifically prohibited the sale or possession of some synthetic cannabinoids. The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and nearly all the states have taken some regulatory action against these products once they have been identified. However, manufacturers of these substances continue to modify their chemical structures in an attempt to evade current laws.
Sep 18,
2014
Drug
type: Synthetic Drugs
Synthetic cannabinoids, better known on the
street as “K2” or “Spice,” have pharmacological effects that are up to 100
times more potent than THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, says a new study.
Scientists from the University of Maryland and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) wrote an article, giving an overview of the effects of synthetic marijuana. In order to replicate the effects of using natural marijuana, laboratories illegally manufacture cannabinoid compounds that act on the same cell receptors that THC does. Users find synthetic cannabis appealing because the substance often does not appear when drug tested.
Studies showed that the pharmacological effects of synthetics can be 2-100 times more potent than THC, including analgesic, anti-seizure, weight loss, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer growth effects. Synthetics mimic physiological and psychoactive effects of THC, but are more intense, commonly resulting in medical and psychiatric emergencies.
Side effects in humans after using synthetic marijuana include nausea and vomiting; shortness of breath or depressed breathing; hypertension; tachycardia; chest pain; muscle twitches; acute renal failure; anxiety; agitation; psychosis; suicidal ideation and cognitive impairment.
The long-term or residual effects of using synthetic cannabis is still unknown.
Scientists from the University of Maryland and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) wrote an article, giving an overview of the effects of synthetic marijuana. In order to replicate the effects of using natural marijuana, laboratories illegally manufacture cannabinoid compounds that act on the same cell receptors that THC does. Users find synthetic cannabis appealing because the substance often does not appear when drug tested.
Studies showed that the pharmacological effects of synthetics can be 2-100 times more potent than THC, including analgesic, anti-seizure, weight loss, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer growth effects. Synthetics mimic physiological and psychoactive effects of THC, but are more intense, commonly resulting in medical and psychiatric emergencies.
Side effects in humans after using synthetic marijuana include nausea and vomiting; shortness of breath or depressed breathing; hypertension; tachycardia; chest pain; muscle twitches; acute renal failure; anxiety; agitation; psychosis; suicidal ideation and cognitive impairment.
The long-term or residual effects of using synthetic cannabis is still unknown.
Nov 21,
2013
Drug
type: Synthetic Drugs
Many of us have come to know the terms bath
salts, or K2 or Spice – names often used to refer to synthetic marijuana – but
now the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has made three new synthetic
drugs illegal under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) for the next two years.
On the streets, these synthetic compounds are known as "N-Bomb". These drugs are marketed online and through illicit channels as illicit hallucinogens such as LSD. However, the chemical compounds are substantially more potent than other hallucinogenic compounds, and the data suggest that extremely small amounts of these drugs can be extremely toxic, causing seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and death.
They have been encountered as powders, liquid solutions, soaked onto blotter paper, and laced on edible items.
The actual chemical names of these controlled synthetic drugs are:
• 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25I-NBOMe);
• 2-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25C-NBOMe); and
• 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25B-NBOMe).
According to the DEA, there is no approved medical use for these particular synthetic drugs, nor has the Food and Drug Administration approved them for human consumption. No published studies exist on their safety for human use. The compounds have been linked to the deaths of at least 19 Americans aged 15 to 29 between March of 2012 and August of 2013.
On the streets, these synthetic compounds are known as "N-Bomb". These drugs are marketed online and through illicit channels as illicit hallucinogens such as LSD. However, the chemical compounds are substantially more potent than other hallucinogenic compounds, and the data suggest that extremely small amounts of these drugs can be extremely toxic, causing seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and death.
They have been encountered as powders, liquid solutions, soaked onto blotter paper, and laced on edible items.
The actual chemical names of these controlled synthetic drugs are:
• 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25I-NBOMe);
• 2-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25C-NBOMe); and
• 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25B-NBOMe).
According to the DEA, there is no approved medical use for these particular synthetic drugs, nor has the Food and Drug Administration approved them for human consumption. No published studies exist on their safety for human use. The compounds have been linked to the deaths of at least 19 Americans aged 15 to 29 between March of 2012 and August of 2013.
Barbara Carreno, a spokesperson for
DEA headquarters, said the biggest issue with N-Bomb is that users have no
idea what they're getting when they take these drugs.
"Part
of the problem is that there is no consistency, there is no quality control.
This is made in illegal labs by rogue chemists. You don’t know what’s in it.
You don’t know what it’s been mixed with or how it may interact with what
they’ve taken," Carreno said. " It’s really like playing Russian
roulette when you take it."
