More Cannabinoids Soon to be Regulated
NEW FEDERAL ACTION
US feds began emergency action Weds 11/24/10 (takes 30 days)
to outlaw 5 chems used to make synthetic marijuana
will be schedule 1 along with cocaine, heroin, etc
emergency ban-->illegal for 1 year while DEA and DHS study them
may not kill industry, will create new black market
15+ states and some Euro nations have already banned them
manufacturers already reformulating to circumvent bans, are in touch with distributors
came to DEA attention in 11/08 when US Customs analyzed "spice"
in 2010 customs seized a 110lb load
law enforcement will use chemical tests
will focus on distributors, not users
THE PRODUCTS
sold in head shops, on internet, in convenience stores
price: about $10 to $20 a gram
labelled as "incense" or potpourri
marketed as a "legal high"
applied to smokable leaves, cause euphoria
approx 10 different chems have been found in them, none are regulated
most are more potent than THC and all are untested for human consumption
cause positive result on urine screening for mj use
market increasing, teens and young adults
product names: Spice, K2, Blaze, Red X Dawn, Genie, Zohai, Mojo, Red Ball, Voodoo Magic, Spice Gold, Yucatan Fire, Pulse, Ignite, Demon, Serenity and Eclipse
SEs: incr HR & BP, anxiety/agitat, numbness/tingling, n/v, halluc/delusions, seizures, dependency
THE CHEMICALS
the five to be regulated: JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol
JWH's
JWH-018 is 4-10x more potent than THC
"K2" contains JWH-018 and JWH-073, both are produced in China
HU-210
late 2008 products being shipped from Europe contained traces of HU-210
potent psychoactive chemical
already classified Schedule I
derivative of THC, similar chem structure and pharm activity
100-800x as potent as THC
CP-47 497
2009 Germany banned "Spice" because it contained JWH-018 and CP-47 497
CP-47 497 was developed by a drug company in the 80s
3-28x more potent than THC
Spice already banned by some U.S. military commands
THE DISCOVERY
John W. Huffman, retired organic chemistry researcher from Clemson U
was doing govt sponsored research on cannabinoids and the brain
developed 3 compounds that mimic THC but with different chemical formulae
created K2's key ingredients in 1995
found no medical benefits, only negative side effects
countless other compounds mimic THC
his were tested on animals not humans
"They are dangerous and anyone who uses them is stupid."
one compound was sold years ago in South Korea as growth supplement for bonsai plants
he also discussed his research in a chapter he contributed to a chemistry book
"I suspect that the people who picked up on it were in China," Huffman said. "Most of these drugs ... originally started in Russia and Western Europe about 2005."
SOURCES
http://www.kptv.com/news/25907036/detail.html
http://www.executivehomedetox.com/blog/index.php/2010/11/24/synthetic-marijuana-spice-k2-blaze-red-x-dawn/
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-02/opinion/fay.ban.k2_1_thc-k2-marijuana?_s=PM:OPINION
http://www.mtnj.org/index.php/departments-alliance/letter_to_the_editor/