Overview of Current Synthetics

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Overview of Current Synthetics

• Darrell L. Davis
• Laboratory Director
• DEA South Central Laboratory
• Dallas, Texas

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Objectives

• Discuss Spice/K2/Cannabinoid/Bath Salts
• Discuss DEA Scheduling Procedures

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SPICE/K2/CANNABINOIDS
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SPICE

• Unregulated mixture of dried herbs
• Ingredients are commonly listed as Indian
  Warrior and Wild Dagga or Lions Tail
• Each of which are potentially bioactive herbs
• No mention of additives or other compounds that
  have a pharmacological activity

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What are they?
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Spice Facts Street Names

• Spice
• Spice Gold
• Kush
• Legal Eagle
• Earth Impact
• Scope
• Spice Egypt
• K2
• Sence
• Yucatan Fire
• Smoke

• Gorillaz
• Skunk
• Genie
• Galaxy
• Gold
• Space Truckin
• Solar Flare
• Moon Rocks
• Blue Lotus
• Aroma
• ChillX
• Highdis
• Almdrohner

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Spice Facts

• Street names
• K2
• Fake Weed
• Spice
• Spice Gold
• Yucatan Gold
• Skunk
• Genie
• Voodoo

• Effects
• hallucinations
• severe agitation
• elevated heart rate
• elevated blood pressure
• red eyes
• mood alteration

www.sciencedaily.com
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A Little Background

• Synthetic cannabinoids were created in an attempt
  to manufacture a legitimate pharmaceutical that
  would produce the pain relieving effects of
  marijuana without producing the high.
• Compounds are named for whom or where they were
  synthesized.
• JWH-018 John W. Huffman
• HU-210 Hebrew University

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History

• 2004 Spice brand products sold on the
  internet and Head shops.
• 2007-2008 Spice monitoring begins
• Dec 2008 Two German labs identify JWH-018 in
  Spice products
• Austria Switzerland ban herbal incense
• Jan 2009 Two German labs and the National
  Institute of Health Sciences in Japan identify CP
  47,497 in seven Spice products

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History

• Jan 2009 Germany banned CP 47,497 and JWH-018
• Jan 2009 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol report
  a small but verifiable amount of HU-210
• Feb 2009 France banned CP 47,497, JWH-018, and
  HU-210

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History

• Apr 2009 K2 hits the market
• Aug 2009 UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of
  Drugs advised the government to control some
  synthetic cannabinoids.
• Sept 2009 K2 was reported in schools in the
  Kansas area.
• Feb 2010 The single source of K2 in Lawrence,
  KS was raided

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History

• Since then the use of synthetic cannabinoids has
  spread like wild fire
• Several states have enacted emergency legislation
  making it illegal
• The Federal Government has emergency scheduled
  JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-250, CP 47,497 (C8 also)
  as of March 1, 2011.
• HU-210 is already covered under the Federal
  Analogue Act

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How do these drugs work?

• They work just like marijuana!
• They bind to chemical receptors (CB1) in the
  central nervous system designed to bind with
  natural endocannabinoinds manufactured by your
  body.
• Endocannabinoids are responsible for
  physiological processes
• Appetite
• Mood
• Memory
• Pain Sensation
• These drugs are habit forming and slightly
  addictive.

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How much does it cost?
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How is it used?
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What now?

• Making synthetic cannabinoids illegal is
  problematic
• How do we test it?
• Which compounds do we make illegal?
• Will the Controlled Substances Analog Act cover
  isomers?
• Where do we get known chemical standards to
  compare street drugs to?
• How do we testify to something that has yet to be
  researched?

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Resources

• www.drugfree.org Forendex
  (SAFS)
• www.theantidrug.com CLIC_List
• www.dare.com SWAFS_List
• www.fairbankscd.org
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.jwh-info.com
• www.erowid.org
• www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/spice/ind
  ex.html

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Bath Salts, What are they?

• 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a
  designer drug of the phenethylamine class. MDPV
  is structurally related to cathinone, an active
  alkaloid found in the khat plant,
  3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA),
  methamphetamine, and other schedule I
  phenethylamines.

Spice A never ending story?
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Bath Salts, What are they?

• MDPV, like some other substances in this class,
  is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. MDPV
  is also reported to have hallucinogenic effects.
  

Spice A never ending story?
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Miami 'zombie' attacker may have been using
'bath salts' -- CNN

• A naked man who chewed off the face of another
  man in what is being called a zombie-like attack
  may have been under the influence of "bath
  salts," a drug referred to as the new LSD.

Spice A never ending story?
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Types of Scheduling Actions

• Administrative
• Formal
• Legislative
• Temporary

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Activities

• Reports of abuse and seizure data prompts DEA to
• Monitor substances through drug seizure and
  supply databases
• Collect and disseminate scientific information to
  law enforcement
• Evaluate international trends
• Coordinate response with other agencies

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Domestic Scheduling of Controlled Substances
NDA Submission DHHS Initiates
YES
Petition/ Activity DEA Initiates
DEA Review
If accepted
Accepted
Rejected
DEA Enforces
Formal Rulemaking Comments / Hearing ?
YES
DEA Review
DHHS
denotes industry involvement
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Controlled Substance Act

• Under the CSA, there are five schedules under
  which substances may be classifiedSchedule I
  being the most restrictive. Substances placed
  onto one of the five schedules are evaluated on

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Controlled Substance Act

• actual or relative potential for abuse
• known scientific evidence of pharmacological
  effects
• current scientific knowledge of the substance
• history and current pattern of abuse
• scope, duration, and significance of abuse
• risk to public health
• psychic or physiological dependence liability
  and
• whether the substance is an immediate precursor
  of an already-scheduled substance.

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Emergency Scheduling

• Before a substance may be placed into emergency
  scheduling the following factors must be
  considered
• History and Current Pattern of Abuse
• Scope, Duration, and Significance of Abuse
• What, if any, Risk to Public Health

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Emergency Scheduling

• A substance meeting the statutory requirements
  for temporary scheduling (21 U.S.C. 811(h)(1))
  may only be placed in schedule I. Substances in
  schedule I are those that have a high potential
  for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in
  treatment in the United States, and lack accepted
  safety for use under medical supervision.

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Emergency Scheduling

• As of March 2011 and October 2011 The following
  were placed as Schedule I Controlled Substances
• JWH-018
• JWH-073
• JWH-200
• CP-47,497
• CP-47,497 C8 homologue
• Mephedrone
• MDPV
• Methylone

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Controlled Substance Analogues

• The issue of whether a substance is a controlled
  substance analogue is an issue of fact which
  must be determined by a judge or jury.  There are
  three criteria involved in determining whether a
  substance is a controlled substance analogue.

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Controlled Substance Analogues

• (1) First, the government must present evidence
  to support a finding that a substance has a
  chemical structure substantially similar to a
  Schedule I or II controlled substance.
• Then the government must present evidence that
  either

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Controlled Substance Analogues

• (2) the substance has a pharmacological effect
  substantially similar or greater than a Schedule
  I or II controlled substance or
• (3) the substance was represented by the seller
  to have a pharmacological effect substantially
  similar to or greater than a Schedule I or II
  controlled substance (example this acts just
  like MDMA).

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Current Legislation

• Several bills have been introduced in the to
  Congress that confront the issue of synthetic
  drug use and abuse
• There is current legislation being proposed that
  would add 15 cannabimimetic substances and 11
  cathinones, etc., to schedule I (26 substances
  total) of the CSA.

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Thanks!

• Darrell.L.Davis_at_usdoj.gov
• 972-559-7950
• Rashad.A.Sims_at_usdoj.gov
• 972-559-7953