Synthetic Drugs - Ohio Crime Prevention Association

Transcription

Regional Organized Crime Information Center
Special Research Report • Synthetic Drugs
SYNTHETIC
DRUGS
Synthetic Cannabinoids,
Synthetic Cathinones
Dangerous to Users, Cops
ropical Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and mountainous Wise
County, Va. are as different as two places in the U.S. could
be, but unfortunately they do have at least one thing in
common — growing abuse of illegal synthetic drugs that has
local law enforcement alarmed.
Although the list of all synthetic drugs is lengthy, two relatively new
categories of drugs are grabbing the headlines — synthetic marijuana
(cannabinoids) such as Spice and K2, and synthetic stimulants
(cathinones) such as bath salts and alpha-PVP, known on the street as
flakka or gravel.
This year, an epidemic of overdose hospitalizations has swept across
the Southeast and other regions of the U.S. due to Spice or fake
marijuana, while certain areas, specifically South Florida, are seeing
bizarre behaviors exhibited by flakka (gravel) abusers.
A longtime law enforcement veteran, Lt. Richard Stallard said he’s
never seen drugs overtake communities “as quickly and as viciously”
as the new synthetics. “I’ve been in law enforcement for 28 years (23
with the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force), and I’ve seen every drug
there is, and I’ve yet to see a drug with the addiction potential of these
synthetics.”
By ROCIC Publications, ROCIC © 2015
DISSEMINATION RESTRICTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
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Diverted pharmaceuticals and marijuana are still
the most abused drugs in southwestern Virginia, but
fake marijuana and bath salts (gravel) are next in line.
“These drugs are very damaging; they have engulfed
entire communities,” he stated, adding that eight out
of every ten drug dealers in his jurisdiction are selling
synthetics (among other drugs).
Wise County has seen an overdose death and a
sexual assault due to bath salts, said Lt. Larry Mullins
of the sheriff’s office. “These synthetic drugs have had
a devastating effect on the community. We have had
multiple overdoses since 2011. We have had several
murders and robberies involving synthetic drugs.”
Flakka Trending in South Florida
Flakka or gravel has been labeled the “second
generation of bath salts.”
In southern Florida, concern over flakka (as gravel
is known locally) has taken hold. Users of flakka
have exhibited bizarre and dangerous behavior, often
endangering police and first responders.
In March 2014, a young partygoer at a Miami-area
music festival died from an overdose of gravel, most
likely taken unknowingly.
On Jan. 30, 2015, a naked man on an apartment
building rooftop in Miami shot a round from a pistol
and then tried unsuccessfully to shoot himself in the
head. He said he felt delusional and was hallucinating.
On Feb. 9, a homeless man claiming to be chased by
cars tried in vain to kick open the front doors of the
Fort Lauderdale Police Department and then cracked
the glass by throwing several rocks.
In March, five police officers in Miami were required
to restrain a man who ripped off his clothes and ran
out of his house screaming and hallucinating.
On March 22, a man being chased by “demons” tried
“Not For Human Consumption”
The only accurate information on the label.
to jump the security fence around the Fort Lauderdale
police station and impaled himself through the thigh
on a spike. Rescue crews had to cut away part of the
fence before the victim was rushed to surgery with
part of the spike still in his leg.
On April 4, a man wearing only sneakers ran amuck
through Fort Lauderdale traffic trying to get struck
by a car because he was being chased by German
Shepherd dogs. He said he had ripped off his clothes
because his body temperature got so hot.
On April 10, a man claiming to be the god Thor
ran naked through a Melbourne neighborhood, tried
to have sex with a tree, and then assaulted a police
officer with his own badge after being Tasered twice
unsuccessfully (he pulled out the probes).
On May 9, Melbourne police arrested a 17-year-old
girl after she jumped through a window in a home,
South Florida
Flakka Users
in the News
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Flakka User Trying to Kick Open Front Entrance
of Fort Lauderdale Police Department
assaulted one of the residents, and then ran outside
covered in blood and broken glass screaming, “I am
God, I am Satan!” She was Tasered and taken into
custody.
“Once they start on synthetics they don’t
want any other drug.”
— Lt. Richard Stallard, Southwest Virginia
Drug Task Force
Paranoia and excited delirium
“On a scale of one to 10, flakka is a 12,” said Lt.
Dan Zsido of the Pinellas County, Fla. Sheriff’s Office
in a news account. “It comes from a place where we
don’t know how it’s being made, who’s making it, and
what’s been added to it before it reaches the end user,
so it’s very dangerous.”
Jim Hall, an epidemiologist at the Center for Applied
Research on Substance Use (NOVA Southeastern
University in Miami), explained to Medical Daily:
“We’re starting to see a rash of cases of a syndrome
referred to as excited delirium. This is where the body
goes into hyperthermia, generally a temperature of
105 degrees. The individual becomes psychotic. They
often rip off their clothes and run out into the street
violently and have an adrenaline-like strength, and
police are called and it takes four or five officers to
restrain them. Once they are restrained, if they don’t
receive immediate medical attention they can die.”
“I’ve had one addict describe it as $5 insanity,” said
Don Maines, a drug treatment counselor with the
Broward Sheriff’s Office in Fort Lauderdale. “They
still want to try it because it’s so cheap. It gives them
heightened awareness. They feel stronger and more
sensitive to touch. But then the paranoia sets in.”
Paranoia is one of the most common symptoms of
gravel usage, said Lt. Stallard. “They all think they
need a gun.” He said one incident in southwest
Virginia involved a drug deal which resulted in
hostages held at gunpoint in a motel room.
Incidents are not restricted to Florida. An Australian
truck driver on the drug allegedly tore off his clothes,
began foaming at the mouth, and climbed a barbedwire fence before falling into a coma and dying.
Other alpha-PVP users have allegedly climbed trees
and rolled around in the grass like animals, and a
Missouri man high on the drug is accused of fatally
shooting his 20-year-old son.
Law enforcement agencies in Sacramento, Calif.,
Upstate New York, and Massachusetts have not
noticed any evidence of gravel in their jurisdictions.
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alpha-PVP. Alpha-PVP is chemically similar to other
synthetic cathinone drugs such as MDPV (first
generation of bath salts) and takes the form of a
white or pink, foul-smelling crystal that can be eaten,
snorted, injected, or vaporized in an e-cigarette or
similar device. Vaporizing, which sends the drug very
quickly into the bloodstream, may make it particularly
easy to overdose. Like other drugs of this type, alphaPVP can cause “excited delirium” that involves
hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that
can lead to violent aggression and self-injury.
The precursors and the chemical itself can be ordered
over the Internet from chemical laboratories in China
or Pakistan. It is estimated that there are 160,000
such labs in China alone.
Bags of Confiscated Flakka
Ingredients added to synthetics:
What is the appeal of dangerous synthetics?
Ammonia nitrate
Caffeine
Cocaine
Dextromethorphan
Ephedrine
Ketamine
Klonopin
Lidocaine (athlete’s foot powder)
Methamphetamine
Methylone
Rat poison
For drug dealers, the profit margin can be very high
for synthetics. “Research chemicals” can be ordered in
bulk on the Internet from labs in China. Drugs can
be sold over the Internet and delivered unwittingly by
the postal service or commercial carrier. Drug bazaars
operate on the “dark” Internet where encrypted
transactions are conducted with virtual currencies.
Due to marketing schemes and word of mouth, users
have the misconception that synthetics are legal and
that they are not as harmful as “traditional” drugs.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In many
cases, synthetic drugs are many times more potent
that traditional drugs, and users often are unsure
about the “correct dosage.” The most dangerous factor
is that consumers never know exactly what they are
buying or ingesting (short of a full-blown chemical
analysis from a lab). Synthetics are often sold with
dangerous additives and cutting agents.
There is another aspect to the appeal of synthetic
drugs — people experimenting with synthetic
psychoactive drugs in pursuit of “alternate
consciousness” and expanding their minds. Synthetics
promise “psychonauts” a mind trip designed to their
own lifestyle specifications.
MDPV and its cousin, mephedrone, are synthetic
variants of an organic class of stimulants called
cathinones, found in a plant called khat that is native
to the Middle East and East Africa. Khat leaves have
been chewed for centuries to deliver the same jolt
synthetic users are seeking in the grains and powders
of today’s designer drugs. (Many Americans became
acquainted with khat from the 2013 movie Captain
Phillips — it’s the plant the Somali pirates are chewing
through much of the action.) Synthetic repackaging
of cathinone molecules has been the focus of lab
experiments since the 1930s.
In nearly all cases the drugs are designed to breach the
blood-brain barrier (the brain’s protective chemical
firewall) and tweak neurochemical functions,
such as blocking the reuptake of the “excitatory”
What is Flakka or Gravel?
The main ingredient in the drug flakka or gravel
is α-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone Hydrochloride or
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neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine
– which produces a sort of electrically-charged
euphoria. This effect is a toxic amplification of effects
inherent to certain psychotherapeutic drugs.
Flakka is thought to be a word derived from the
Spanish word “flaca,” meaning “skinny,” and in
Hispanic cultures is generally thought to refer to a
beautiful, elegantly thin woman. Some users dispute
this explanation, claiming the name comes from the
effects of the drug.
A flakka user in San Antonio, Texas said, “The people
that normally smoke crack don’t want crack. This is
the new crack.” Kicking the addiction can be difficult.
Besides the shaking and sweating, he has anxiety and
painful arthritis-like effects in his joints. “It’s always
going to be a temptation, its going to ruin your life,
guaranteed,” he told a reporter.
Street names and brand names
for synthetic cathinones:
$5 Insanity
Bath salts
Bloom
Blue Silk
Cloud Nine
Flakka
Gravel
Hurricane Charlie
Ivory Wave
Lunar Wave
Molly
Ocean Snow
Purple Wave
Red Dove
Scarface
Vanilla Sky
White Lightning
“It is a perfect storm of new trends.
Before the Internet, these things took
years to evolve. Now trends accelerate in
seconds.”
— DEA Special Agent Gary Boggs
One kilogram of alpha-PVP provides up to 10,000
doses, explained epidemiologist Hall. Each dose is
one tenth of a gram—enough to produce the desired
effects and mild hallucinations—and sells for $5 or
less on the street. “Flakka can be purchased online
from the dark web (unregulated Internet web) at a
relatively low price,” Hall said in a news account. “It
can go for $1,500 a kilo so a dealer is looking at a
potential $48,500 profit.” In south Florida, a network
of loosely affiliated local crime rings are flakka’s biggest
pushers, according to Hall. “The homeless population
is also involved in its sale and distribution,” he said.
A major attraction of flakka or gravel is its cheap
cost to users and the profit margin for dealers and
manufacturers. “The profit margin for these drugs is
why we feel it’s one of the reasons it’s so popular in
this area,” said Lt. Mulllins of Wise County, Va. We
have purchased it undercover for as high as $175 a
gram while dealers can buy it for as low as $3 a gram
(unconfirmed).
Law enforcement experience with gravel dates
back to the fall of 2013 in northeastern Tennessee,
specifically Kingsport (Sullivan County) and
Johnson City (Washington County). There were 20
incidents involving gravel abuse in Kingsport during
September-October 2013. “Gravel can potentially
be even more dangerous than the synthetic drugs we
were dealing with last year, mainly because you do not
know for sure what other drugs have been mixed with
the PVP,” said Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office PIO
Leslie Earhart in a news account. “There have been
reports of dealers trying to pass straight ammonia
nitrate off as gravel.”
Again, extreme paranoia was exhibited as a symtom
of gravel abuse, resulting in officer safety issues.
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One man assaulted his girlfriend because she had
placed surveillance equipment in all their electrical
appliances. Police have struggled with victims or
suspects while subduing or arresting them.
“There’s horror stories we’re hearing about this
stuff,” said Kingsport Detective Nathan Elliott. “It’s
worse than bath salts, in relation to women waking
up in a room surrounded by men, not knowing what
happened.”
Washington County Lt. Doug Gregg described
abusers of gravel. “They have a tendency to be very
violent. You can’t predict what they’re going to do.”
He said the alpha-PVP was found as small rocks,
similar to crack cocaine. Many abusers were injecting
the drug. The medical center in Johnson City saw
several cases of patients showing up after injecting
gravel.
19 percent of U.S. males and 11 percent
of U.S. females reported having used
hallucinogens in a 2009 survey.
— U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health
Data Archive (SAMHDA).
the arrests of more than 90 individuals and the
seizure of more than five million packets of finished
synthetic designer drugs and the ingredients to
produce 13.6 million more packets. In June 2013,
the DEA announced enforcement actions in 35 states
“targeting the upper echelon of dangerous designer
synthetic drug trafficking organizations” as part of
the cooperative operation, Project Synergy. According
to the DEA, these enforcement actions involved
retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers, and exposed
“the massive flow of drug-related proceeds back to
countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
In May 2014, as part of Project Synergy Phase II, the
DEA arrested more than 150 individuals and seized
“hundreds of thousands of individually packaged,
ready-to-sell synthetic drugs as well as hundreds
of kilograms of raw synthetic products to make
thousands more.” The DEA stated that a number of
Project Synergy cases will be prosecuted under the
Analogue Enforcement Act.
Since Project Synergy began Dec. 1, 2012, more
than 227 arrests were made and 416 search warrants
served in 35 states, 49 cities and five countries, along
with more than $51 million in cash and assets seized.
Altogether, 9,445 kilograms of individually packaged,
ready-to-sell synthetic drugs, 299 kilograms of
cathinone drugs, 1,252 kilograms of cannabinoid
drugs, and 783 kilograms of treated plant material
were seized.
The second phase of Project Synergy, January-June
2014, culminated in 29 states, involves more than
45 DEA offices serving nearly 200 search warrants.
More than 150 individuals have been arrested, and
federal, state and local law enforcement authorities
have seized hundreds of thousands of individually
packaged, ready-to-sell synthetic drugs as well as
hundreds of kilograms of raw synthetic products to
make thousands more. Additionally, more than $20
million in cash and assets were seized. These numbers
are expected to grow as investigations continue.
Lab cases, ER visits, poison reports
There were 1,706 crime lab cases in 2014 involving
synthetic cathinones (bath salts) in Miami-Dade,
Broward, and Palm Beach counties, accounting for
more than half of all such cases in Florida, according
to the DEA.
In the United States, synthetic cathinones, which
encompasses flakka and bath salts, rose from 14,239
to 16,500 annual cases from 2012 to 2013. Flakka
cases are significantly increasing from no reported
cases in 2010 to 85 cases in 2012, and greater than
670 in 2014. No statistics are available on reported
cases in 2015 thus far.
Today, 15 to 20 percent of the patients enrolled in
treatment programs in South Florida were admitted
for flakka.
Standard treatment for someone who overdoses on
a stimulant involves not stimulating them anymore
and actively sedating them, said Mark DeBard, an
emergency physician and an emergency medicine
professor at Ohio State University. “In general, the
best guidelines are to make them safe and yourself
safe, and to minimize restraint as they undergo getting
medical help,” DeBard told FoxNews.
Flakka Prosecutions
Over the past several years, the DEA has led major
enforcement efforts against the synthetic drug
industry. In July 2012, Operation Log Jam yielded
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Seizures from Project Synergy
in Gulfport, Miss.
In March 2015, the West Palm Beach District Office
received information from the DEA London Country
Office regarding an international mail-forwarding
company exporting shipments of flakka from Hong
Kong to West Palm Beach. Between March 24
and April 2, 2015, agents from WPBDO seized
approximately nine kilograms of flakka.
On March 26, agents conducted a controlled
delivery of a commercial service package containing
two kilograms of flakka to a suspect who was believed
to have direct ties to at least six of the nine kilograms
of seized flakka. Agents arrested two individuals—a
22-year-old woman and her boyfriend--and seized
a black Audi Q7, Chevy Silverado 2500, $68,725
in cash, a Glock .40-caliber Model 27 pistol, and
miscellaneous marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Between February and March 2015, agents from
WPBDO and the Tactical Diversion Squad conducted
a series of operations in conjunction with the Broward
Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Service and PBSO, which
resulted in the seizure of approximately 7.6 kilograms
of flakka. The drug had been sent directly from
China to vacant residences in West Palm Beach via
commercial courier service, and to California via U.S.
Postal Service.
Flakka sold from China has a reported wholesale
value of $1,500 to $2,000 per kilogram. In South
Florida, the reported street value is $6,000 per
kilogram and $500 per ounce.
Police in the past year have arrested a number of
Americans who purchased bulk quantities of alphaPVP from Chinese companies, including two men in
Wisconsin, a university student in New York, and a
man and woman in Minnesota.
Synthetic Marijuana-Spice and K2
Although synthetic marijuana, known as Spice or K2,
has been around for several years, law enforcement
is reporting a recent spike in overdoses and medical
treatments for abuse that has them concerned. The
American Association of Poison Control Centers
reported more than 1,900 calls related to synthetic
pot have been made since the start of 2015. That’s
four times more than there were last year during the
same time period.
Epidemic of Overdoses in Southeast
The Alabama Department of Public Health issued
a statement in April 2015 acknowledging a rise of
(Continued on Page 9)
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synthetic marijuana usage and said there had been
98 overdoses suspected to be linked with Spice in the
previous month. Mobile County has seen seven cases
in the first four months of 2015, more than the entire
previous year.
In Tuscaloosa, hospitals reported 24 Spice overdoses
— including one death and others on life support —
in 13 days through April 9, leading the Chief of Police
to call the situation “a public health crisis and a public
safety crisis.” In the city of Fairfield, on the other side
of the state, officials reported four suspected Spice
overdoses in just six hours on April 13.
Mississippi health officials are also concerned that
synthetic marijuana is on the rise. Ninety-seven cases
over an eight-day span in April were reported to the
Mississippi Poison Control Center, a Department of
Health press release said.
More than 30 people who had used Spice were
treated in emergency rooms in Jackson, Miss. over
the weekend of April 4-5, 2015, according to the
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. Other case have
been reported on the Gulf Coast and in Meridian,
Philadelphia and Monticello, officials said.
Some of the patients were combative and violent.
Some showed signs of agitation, sweating, and
hallucinations. Some arrived comatose.
According to news accounts, West Alabama drug
agents are seeing a “dramatic increase” in overdoses
and arrests related to Spice, a form of synthetic
marijuana that they say is one of the worst drugs
they’ve ever dealt with, according to a release from the
Tuscaloosa Police Department. In March-April 2015,
more than 20 people who overdosed on Spice needed
medical attention.
In 2014, the West Alabama Narcotics unit seized
more than 66 pounds of Spice valued at more than
$598,000 and arrested suspects on 62 Spice-related
charges, the release stated.
So far in 2015, they’ve seized about four pounds of
Spice valued at $34,000 and arrested people on 20
Spice-related charges.
In the past, the drug was packaged in a foil-like
container with approximately four grams, but now
agents are seeing small Ziploc bags with one gram of
Spice that sell for around $20.
On March 12, 2015, a Birmingham, Ala. man
was sentenced to more than five years in prison for
Street names and brand names
for synthetic cannabinoids:
B2 Da Bomb
Black Mamba
Bliss
Bomb Marley
Diablo
Fake weed or fake
Genie
Incense
K2
K3
Mojo
Moon Rocks
Nice
Roses
Skunk
Spice
Spice Diamond
Street Legal
V8
WTF
Yucatan Fire
Zohai
manufacturing and selling Spice (XLR11) through
a website he ran at his Southside apartment called
“Bob’s Bud” and “bobswackytobacky.” He sold the
drugs as herbal incense. He also sold the so-called
“research chemical” 5FUR144 in bulk, $50 for five
grams or $5,000 for a kilogram. He told the court
that the source for most of the chemicals was a lab in
China.
Among high school seniors nationwide, synthetic
marijuana is the second-most widely used class of
illicit drug after marijuana, according to the 2012
Monitoring the Future drug survey.
The District of Columbia Prevention Center reports
that fake weed use among youth has increased
significantly since 2008. The average age of a fake
weed user in D.C. is 13 years old.
According to the American Association of Poison
Control Centers (AAPCC), poison control centers
around the country received 2,906 calls about
synthetic cannabinoid substances in 2010, up from
a reported 14 calls in 2009. In 2011, these calls
increased to 6,968, and declined to 5,230 in 2012
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and 2,663 in 2013. From January through June 2014,
there were 1,445 reported calls regarding human
exposure to synthetic cannabinoids. At least 42 states
and Puerto Rico have legislatively banned chemical
substances contained in synthetic cannabinoids.
The U.S. military has also banned personnel from
possessing or using these substances.
Since April 1, 2015, the Upstate New York Poison
Control Center has received reports of 179 people
– most of them in the Syracuse area – who received
hospital care after using the illicit drug. There have
been 11 cases since May 1.
Poison control centers nationwide have reported
2,576 cases through May 4. Some arrive at emergency
rooms comatose. Also reported are cases in New York
City. In the summer of 2014, the New York City
Department of Health issued a warning to the public
regarding the dangers of synthetic cannabinoid use
after 15 people experienced “severe adverse reactions
after suspected ingestion of synthetic cannabinoids”
over a period of three days. The department also
reported that NYC emergency department visits
related to synthetic cannabinoids were up 220 percent
during the first six months of 2014.
Officials in New Hampshire have declared a state of
emergency.
Epidemics of Spice-related overdoses go back several
years. Reports of overdoses are not new. Approximately
120 people in Dallas and Austin, Texas overdosed on
synthetic marijuana within a four-day span in May
2014. The supplier of the drug was based in Dallas.
“We don’t know what they are putting into these
synthetic drugs,” said Dr. James d’Etienne of Baylor
Medical Center, where most of patients who overdosed
on synthetic marijuana were taken. “Several of them
came in with similar symptoms of psychosis, altered
mental status, abnormal behavior - ranged from very
sedated to an agitated state.”
In December 2013, Wise County, Va. experienced
16 “fake marijuana” overdoses in one day.
During 2013, 85 percent of Dothan, Ala. police callouts for narcotic investigators from the patrol division
involved synthetic marijuana. In a news account,
Lt. Bubba Ott, supervisor of the department’s drug
division, said most of the usual drugs (cocaine, meth
and marijuana) are on the rise, but synthetic marijuana
has quickly risen to one of the most commonly
“These things are dangerous – anybody
who uses them is playing Russian roulette.
They have profound psychological effects.
We never intended them for human
consumption.”
— Clemson University Professor John Huffman,
creator of JWH-018, a synthetic cannabinoid
abused drugs across the city. “It’s our number one
biggest problem right now,” Ott said. “We’re having
an epidemic of the synthetic marijuana.”
In October 2014, MAB-CHMINACA, ADBCHMINACA (sold as “Mojo,” “Spice,” “K2,” and
“Scooby Snax”) resulted in more than 150 hospital
visits in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La., prompting
the governor to ban the drug in that state.
How Dangerous is Synthetic Marijuana?
Officials contribute usage of synthetic marijuana to
the fact that it is cheap and easily available online and
that usage rarely shows up on drug screening tests.
But the main reason, especially for younger users, is
Misbranded synthetic cannabinoids
OCDETF cases against James M. Bolin and
James P. Bolin, New Lenox, Ill., February 2014.
AK-47 24 Karat Gold Potpourri
Bizarro
Caution Blitzen Herbal Potpourri
Caution Platinum Super Strong Incense
Caution Silver Super Strong Incense
Cherry Bomb
Darkness Prince
Diablo Botanical Incense
G-20 Herbal Potpourri
Hip Hop
Joker Herbal Potpourri
Kronik Kryptonite Herbal Potpourri
Mr. Happy
OMG Next Generation
Out World
Smoking Santa
ZenBio Sonic Zero Blueberry
ZenBio Sonic Zero Cherry
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Why Synthetic Marijuana Is More Toxic To The Brain Than Pot
1. It’s much more efficient at binding and
acting in the brain
4. The body doesn’t know how to deactivate
synthetics
One reason that synthetic cannabis can trigger everything
from seizures to psychosis is how it acts in the brain. Like
the active ingredient in pot, THC, synthetic cannabis
binds the CB1 receptor. But when it binds, it acts as a
full agonist, rather than a partial agonist, meaning that it
can activate a CB1 receptor on a brain cell with maximum
efficacy, rather than only partially, as with THC. “The
first rule of toxicology is, the dose makes the poison,”
says Jeff Lapoint, MD, an emergency room doctor and
medical toxicologist. “Synthetic cannabinoids are tailormade to hit cannabinoid receptors – and hit it hard. This
is not marijuana. Its action in the brain may be similar
but the physical effect is so different.” Another issue is
its potency, which is huge. “Its potency can be up to one
hundred or more times greater than THC – that’s how
much drug it takes to produce an effect,” says Paul
Prather, PhD, professor of pharmacology and toxicology
at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
One possibility is that the metabolites of synthetic
cannabis are also doing damage to the brain. Usually
our bodies deactivate a drug as it metabolizes it, but this
may not be the case with synthetic. “What we’re finding
from our research,” says Prather, “is that some of the
metabolites of synthetic cannabis bind to the receptor
just as well as the drug itself – this isn’t the case with
THC. The synthetic metabolites seem to retain full activity
relative to the parent compound. So the ability of our
bodies to deactivate them may be decreased.”
Synthetic cannabis lacks cannabidiol, which is present
in natural marijuana and appears to blunt some of the
adverse actions of the THC.
5. Quality control is nonexistent
Synthetic cannabis is made in underground labs, often
in China, and probably elsewhere. The only consistent
thing is that there’s no quality control in the formulation
process. “Is Crazy Monkey today the same as Crazy
Monkey tomorrow?” Prather asks. “No way. The makers
take some random herb, and spray it with cannabinoid.
They’re probably using some cheap sprayer to spray it by
hand. How much synthetic cannabis is in there? You have
no idea how much you’re getting.” He adds that there are
almost always “hot spots” present in the drug – places
where the drug is way more concentrated than others.
“Plus, there’s almost always more than one synthetic
cannabinoid present in these things – usually four or five
different ones.” The bottom line: There’s no telling what
you’re getting in a bag of Spice or K2.
2. CB1 receptors are everywhere in the brain
A central reason that synthetic cannabis can produce
such an enormous variety of side effects is likely because
CB1 receptors are present in just about every brain
region there is. When you have a strong-binding and
long-lasting compound going to lots of different areas
of the brain, you’re going to get some very bad effects.
Their presence in the hippocampus affects memory;
their presence in seizure initiation areas in the temporal
cortex is why they lead to seizures. And in the prefrontal
cortex, this is probably why you see stronger psychosis
with synthetic cannabinoids. The cardiac, respiratory,
and gastrointestinal effects probably come from the CB1
receptors in the brain stem. Any one of these may present
the greatest risk of death.
6. The drugs are always evolving
“Someone’s just kind of riffing off JWH,” says Lapoint.
There are hundreds of different forms of JWH, and of
other synthetic cannabinoids designed by different labs,
and the next one is always waiting to go. “It only takes a
grad school chemist level to pull it off,” he says. “The first
JWH in incense blends was found in Germany around
2008 – it was the JWH-018 in Spice. It took months
for the local authorities to figure out what was in it and
regulate it. The next week incense blends with another
compound, JWH-073, came out. They already had it
ready to go – and they’re making something that’s not
even illegal yet.”
3. A synthetic cannabis overdose looks totally
different from a pot “overdose”
The clearest proof that synthetic cannabis is a different
thing all together is that overdose with the drug looks
totally different from an “overdose” with natural marijuana.
“Clinically, they just don’t look like people who smoke
marijuana,” says Lewis Nelson, MD, at NYU’s Department
of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology.
“Pot users are usually interactive, mellow, funny. Every
once in a while we see a bad trip with natural marijuana.
But it goes away quickly. With people using synthetic,
they look like people who are using amphetamines:
they’re angry, sweaty, agitated.”
Source (excerpts): “Why Synthetic Marijuana Is More
Toxic To The Brain Than Pot”
Forbes.com, by Alice Walton, Aug. 28, 2014
11
Law Enforcement Investigations
and Prosecutions
“The first rule of toxicology is, the dose
makes the poison…Synthetic cannabinoids
are tailor-made to hit cannabinoid
receptors – and hit it hard. This is NOT
marijuana. Its action in the brain may
be similar but the physical effect is so
different.”
Lt. Mullins said a two-year undercover investigation
in 2012-13 shut down a dozen stores selling synthetic
drugs in his jurisdiction. The stores were doing
$100,000 in sales per month, he said. “Basically, what
we did was drive it underground,” he said about “fake”
dealers. “Now you have to know somebody.” He said
that in early May 2015 search warrants were executed
on two women who were buying bulk potpourri in
North Carolina for about $6 per gram and selling
it back home for $25 per gram (enough for a twoday high). They were cutting 10-gram bags down
into $1 baggies. Although they were living on public
assistance, the women were bringing in $30,000 to
$50,000 per month in drug sales.
On April 21, 2015, Arkansas State Police stopped
a rental car in Miller County. The driver claimed to
be en route from Houston, Texas to Milwaukee, Wis.
A consensual search of the vehicle revealed a total
of 2.5 pounds of synthetic marijuana packed in five
one-gallon Ziploc bags and 450 packets of “Spice”
synthetic marijuana in the passenger compartment.
Two days later, the West Tennessee Drug Task
Force (28th District) responded to a call in Gibson
County, where ambulance personnel were requesting
immediate police assistance due to “two combative
subjects possibly under the influence of an unknown
drug.” It took more than a dozen police and
emergency personnel to subdue both subjects. One
subject was flown to the trauma center in Jackson,
Tenn. and the other transported by ground and later
transported to the same trauma center. Both were in
critical condition after using a Spice brand known as
Super Magic. Agents believe the drugs originated at a
convenience store in Texas.
On April 20, a Connecticut man was sentenced in
federal court in Gulfport, Miss. to 120 years in prison
for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute
and possessing with intent to distribute chemicals
used in the manufacture of Spice (AM2201). “These
synthetic substances are designed and manufactured
with no controls on the safety of the substance, and
no goal other than generating a more powerful high
for the user, and a larger profit for the drug dealers
who sell these dangerous drugs,” said DEA Special
Agent in Charge Keith Brown. The defendant was
— Jeff Lapoint, MD, emergency room doctor and
medical toxicologist
the misconception that it is legal and safer, or as safe
to use, than natural marijuana. Nothing could be
further from the truth. In reality, synthetic marijuana
is not marijuana at all.
Synthetic marijuana consists of herbal substances or
potpourri sprayed with a synthetic chemical which is
a synthetic cannobinoid, an analog of THC.
In essence, smoking fake marijuana produces effects
more like methamphetamine than THC. In reality, as
shown by recent overdoses, users cannot know which
chemicals they are buying and ingesting into their
bodies.
“This is a stark reminder of how dangerous it can
be to take chemicals that are manufactured without
safety precautions. These are not made with any
consideration for the people taking these drugs.
They’re not regulated; they’re not controlled,” said
Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the Mississippi Dept. of Health’s
state epidemiologist. “So we strongly advise and
vehemently advise that everyone avoid taking these
mind-altering chemicals, because there’s no way they
can be safe under any circumstances.”
Clemson University Professor John Huffman
is credited with first synthesizing some of the
cannabinoids, such as JWH-018, now used in
“fake pot” substances such as K2. The effects of
JWH-018 can be 10 times stronger than those of
THC. Dr. Huffman is quoted as saying, “These
things are dangerous — anybody who uses them
is playing Russian roulette. They have profound
psychological effects. We never intended them for
human consumption.”
Lt. Mullins of Wise County, Va. said one user of
fake marijuana beat his child to death. Another shot
and killed his brother. Yet another abuser killed his
parents while high on “fake.”
12
buying chemicals from China, marketing
the drugs for sale on websites in the U.S.,
and shipping the drugs by commercial
parcel service.
Fifteen subjects were arrested in December
2014 in South Florida and charged with
the sale and distribution of synthetic
cannabinoids in six counties following
an eight-month investigation known
as Operation Synthetic Web. Eleven
undercover purchases of Cloud Nine and
similar drugs were made at convenience
stores, with a store in Deerfield Beach
pinpointed as the base of operations. Seized
were eight kilos of Spice street-valued at $200,000
and 4,000 vials of liquid product valued at $160,000.
The products contained XLR-11, AB-PINACA, and
AB-FUBINACA. XLR-11 is a Schedule I Controlled
Substance and the other two were outlawed by an
Emergency Order, on October 9, 2013, by the Florida
Attorney General. The liquid product, known as
Diablo, was intended to be consumed in e-cigarettes
or vaporizers.
In October 2014, two brothers from Fort Wayne,
Ind. were found guilty in federal court in Dallas,
Texas, of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration by introducing into interstate
commerce misbranded drugs, i.e., synthetic marijuana
branded as incense, potpourri, and air freshener. The
drugs were “reviewed” for human consumption via
videos posted on the Internet and sold in 38 states.
Short List of Most Prominent Synthetic Drugs:
MDA
DOM
LSA
MDAI
DOB
DOI
DOC
DMT
K
GBL
GHB
TMA-2
AMT
BZP
2C-B
2C-C
2C-D
2C-I
2C-T-7
5-MeO-DiPT
5-MeO-MIPT
5-MeO-DALT
5-MeO-DMT
PCP
MDE
Other Synthetic / Designer Drugs
Although gravel and Spice are in the news, there are
many more synthetic drugs that deserve the attention
of law enforcement and the community. Because
chemists can easily tweak the formula of a chemical
so that it mimics a known drug, there are thousands
of designer drugs on the market today. However,
two of the most common are MDMA (Ecstasy) and
Fentanyl.
4-Acetoxy-DET
4-Acetoxy-DiPT
FLEA
4-FA
JHW-018
MPA
AM-2201
AM-2233
4-MEC
4-EMC
5-APB
6-APB
ALD
MXE
BHO
Bromo-DragonFly
Salvinorin A
Soma
Fentanyl
Dilaudid
Marinol
Thujone
Oxymorphone
Hydromorphone
MDMA
toxic agent, based on postmortem examination and
toxicology results. PMMA is so dangerous that it is
known on the street as “Death” and “Dr. Death.” All
of the victims believed they were consuming MDMA
(Ecstasy). All tested positive for other stimulants,
Ecstasy or Dr. Death?
Twenty-seven deaths from June 2011 to April 2012 in
Alberta and British Columbia, Canada were attributed
to the hallucinogenic stimulant para-methoxyN-methylamphetamine (PMMA) as the primary
13
Summary of 27 deaths associated with the use of paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA)
in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, June 2011 to April 2012
14
including PMA, MDA, amphetamine, and cocaine.
The median initial body temperature recorded at the
hospital was 102.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Sixteen of
the 17 patients who survived to arrive at the hospital
had findings consistent with serotonin syndrome.
Dysfunction seen in the hospital patients included
renal failure, rhabdomyolysis, hepatic injury,
coagulopathy, cardiac ischemia, and dysrhythmias.
PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine) and PMMA are
in the same class of drugs as MDMA or “Ecstasy”
(3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). As with
MDMA, these drugs tend to be distributed in
colorful, branded tablets and are taken by mouth.
Buyers may think they are getting MDMA, when
in fact they are getting PMA/PMMA or some
combination of different drugs. In other cases, users
may be prompted to take PMA/PMMA together with
MDMA to enhance the effects. These drugs are often
taken for their purported euphoric and stimulant
effects. Users report feeling “at peace” and as though
“all is right with the world.” Users often also believe
that these drugs may increase sexuality and enhance
pleasure. Introverts think it makes them more social.
PMA/PMMA is considered to be more toxic
than MDMA, and more likely to cause side effects
including seizures and increased body temperature.
Also, the initial effects of PMA/PMMA are often
delayed and milder than MDMA, leading users to
believe they have taken a weak MDMA product.
Users will then often take more of the drug in an
attempt to get the desired effects.
The other effects that can happen are similar to those
from MDMA. It can often cause feelings of anxiety
and paranoia. It can also lead to hallucinations
(hearing voices or seeing things). Users report dry
mouth, teeth grinding, sweating or nausea. Some may
experience chest pain, and palpitations (an awareness
of their heartbeat). Others may experience headache,
weakness, or difficulty speaking. As with MDMA,
PMA/PMMA can also have serious, life-threatening
side effects when used on its own, and/or if combined
with other medications (including anti-depressants).
Another popular designer drug is called 2C-E.
In May 2012 a 22-year-old Minnesota man was
sentenced to 10 years in prison for providing the drug
to party friends, one of whom died from an overdose
which sickened ten others. The defendant thought
he had bought the drug 2C-I over the Internet but
instead purchased the far more potent 2C-E. The
victim’s mother stated that the defendant was not a
criminal. “He is a very young man who made bad
choices.”
In May 2011 in Konawa, Okla. a man and a woman
in their early-20s died and six were injured when they
took what they thought was 2C-E, but which seems
actually to have been the extra-dangerous 3C-BromoDragonfly. These drugs are hallucinogens. The drug
was bought off the Internet.
The typical dose of Bromo-DragonFly is not known,
however it has varied from 500 µg to 1 mg. It has
about 300 times the potency of mescaline, or onefifth the potency of LSD. It has been sold in the form
of blotters, similar to the distribution method of LSD,
which has led to confusion, and reports of mistakenly
consuming Bromo-DragonFly. It has a much longer
duration of action than LSD and can last for up to
two to three days, following a single large dose, with
a slow onset of action that can take up to six hours
[Hipster] points to the entry for the new hot synthetic
psychedelic, the “N-bomb” (the NBOMe series),
which resembles LSD in its effects but is shorterlasting and cheaper, at about $1 per dose. You have to
be careful with the dosage, which must be measured
in submilligrams: “A tiny amount is so powerful. I
figured out that if you mix it with vodka and put it in
a nasal-spray bottle, it’s a 15-minute come-up, peaks
at an hour and a half, and you’re on your way out at
two hours. The N-bomb is less intellectual and about
giant God questions than LSD, and a little bit more in
your body — great for dates or art museums.” The last
time he took it, he went to his favorite tripping spot
in Prospect Park, then to the Asian-art section of the
Brooklyn Museum. “There was this Korean pot that
was so beautiful that I got it in my head that it was
unsafe ... and I had to smash the glass and rescue it. It
was the first time in a long time that I almost made a
mistake with psychedelics.”
Excerpted from “Travels in the New Psychedelic Bazaar,” by
Vanessa Grigoriadis, New York Magazine, 2013
15
before the effects are felt.
In October 2000, a 20-year-old man in Norman,
Okla., died from taking 2C-T-7.
The Godfather of Psychedelics
No one has contributed more to the advancement
of synthetic psychoactive (psychedelic) drugs than
Alexander Shulgin, aka Sasha Shulgin, who died
in June 2014 at age 88. The inventor of more than
200 psychodelic compounds over several decades
(he and his wife experimented with most of them
personally), Shulgin was known as the Godfather of
Ecstasy. Shulgin first became famous for inventing a
biodegradable insecticide for Dow Chemical, which
subsequently subsidized his experimentation (most of
which he did in a makeshift lab in his sideyard). In
1976 he resynthesized MDMA or Ecstasy (it was first
patented in 1914 by Merck) and recommended that
it be used for psychotherapy.
According to a New York Times profile written before
Shulgin’s death:
“In certain therapeutic circles, MDMA acquired
a reputation as a wonder drug. Anecdotal accounts
attested to its ability to induce in one session the sort
of breakthroughs that normally took months or years
of therapy. According to George Greer, a psychiatrist
who in the early 80’s conducted MDMA therapy
sessions with 80 patients, ‘Without exception, every
therapist who I talked to or even heard of, every
therapist who gave MDMA to a patient, was highly
impressed by the results.’
“But the drug was also showing up in nightclubs in
Dallas and Los Angeles, and in 1986 the DEA placed
it in Schedule I. By the late 90’s, household surveys
showed millions of teenagers and college students
using it, and in 2000, U.S. Customs officials seized
nearly 10 million pills. Parents and public officials
worried that a whole generation was consigning itself
to a life of drug-induced depression and cognitive
decay.”
Shulgin was largely able to avoid a DEA crackdown
simply because most of the drugs that he worked
on hadn’t previously existed outside of his lab, and
therefore weren’t illegal yet. Eventually though, in the
1990s, Shulgin’s lab was raided and he was asked to
turn over his Schedule I drug research license.
“I’ve always been interested in the machinery of the
Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, the Godfather of Ecstasy
mental process,’’ he said of his work.
Shulgin also synthesized the nine “2C” (dimethoxyphenethylamines)
synthetic
hallucinogens.
Shulgin dubbed them “2C” after the two-carbon
bridge linking the benzene ring and amino group
in these compounds. He described dozens of similar
compounds in a 1991 book, PiHKAL (Phenethylamines
I Have Known And Loved): A Chemical Love Story.
Shulgin estimated he had personally taken about
4,000 psychedelic trips. He died of liver cancer.
Fentanyl Danger Alert
Fentanyl is a stimulant up to 50 times stronger
than heroin. On March 18, 2015, the DEA issued
a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl
and fentanyl analogues/compounds. Fentanyl is
commonly laced in heroin, causing significant
problems across the country, particularly as heroin
abuse has increased. In the past two years, the
DEA has seen a significant resurgence in fentanylrelated seizures. According to the National Forensic
Laboratory Information System (NFLIS), state and
local labs reported 3,344 fentanyl submissions in
2014, up from 942 in 2013. In addition, the DEA
has identified 15 other fentanyl-related compounds.
In its prescription form, fentanyl is known as Actiq,
Duragesic, and Sublimaze. Street names for the drug
16
also issued warnings to law enforcement as fentanyl
can be absorbed through the skin and accidental
inhalation of airborne powder can also occur. Law
enforcement could come in contact with fentanyl on
the streets during the course of enforcement, such as
a buy-walk, or buy-bust operation.
According to most sources, however, fentanyl is
most common in jurisdictions outside the Southeast.
Chemicals manufactured in China
From 2008 to 2013, the DEA identified between
200 and 300 new designers drugs from eight different
structural classes, the vast majority of which are
manufactured in China.
Hamilton Morris, who filmed a recent HBO
documentary, “Synthetic Drug Revolution,” talked
about Chinese labs: “The scale of it, the level of
sophistication, I think, would be surprising to people.
Some of the laboratories that are manufacturing
these compounds are also contracted to synthesize
intermediates for major pharmaceutical companies.
This isn’t what you’d imagine a clandestine laboratory
to be like. It’s not people mixing things in a bathtub or
in a trash can. They’re fully functioning pharmaceutical
laboratories with hundreds of thousands of dollars of
analytical equipment.”
He added, “There is no division between the normal
include Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever,
friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, as well as
Tango and Cash.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II narcotic used as an analgesic
and anesthetic. It is the most potent opioid available
for use in medical treatment – 50 to 100 times more
potent than morphine and 30 to 50 times more
potent than heroin. Fentanyl is potentially lethal,
even at very low levels. Ingestion of small doses as
small as 0.25 mg can be fatal. Its euphoric effects are
indistinguishable from morphine or heroin. DEA has
17
market for fine chemicals in China and the gray
market because the firms there aren’t thinking of
cannabinoids as illicit drugs. One day they might be
making a treatment for androgenic alopecia, the next
day they might be making a tomato-rooting hormone,
and the day after that they might be making an
indole-based cannabinoid. It doesn’t matter to them.
It’s just a chemical.”
The southern province of Guangdong, which abuts
Hong Kong, is China’s synthetic drug factory, thanks
in part to the area’s traditional proficiency in making
Chinese medicine, which includes one of the key
natural ingredients in methamphetamine, which is
replicated in synthetic drugs like flakka.
Federal Scheduling
Schedule I
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined
as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a
high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most
dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially
severe psychological or physical dependence. Some
examples of Schedule I drugs are:
heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana
(cannabis),
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote
Schedule II
Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as
drugs with a high potential for abuse, less abuse potential
than Schedule I drugs, with use potentially leading to
severe psychological or physical dependence. These
drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of
Schedule II drugs are:
Synthetic Drug Scheduling
In 2011, the Attorney General – through the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) – used his
temporary scheduling authority to place five synthetic
cannabinoids and three synthetic stimulants on
Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Concern over the reported increase in use of certain
synthetic cannabinoids and stimulants resulted in
legislative action to schedule specific substances.
The Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of
2012 – Subtitle D of Title XI of the Food and Drug
Administration Safety and Innovation Act (P.L. 112144) – added five structural classes of substances in
synthetic cannabinoids (and their analogues) as well as
11 synthetic stimulants and hallucinogens to Schedule
I of the CSA. In addition, the act extended the DEA’s
authority to temporarily schedule substances. In
April 2013, the Attorney General – through the DEA
and in consultation with the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) – took administrative
action to permanently place methylone on Schedule
I of the CSA. A number of scheduling actions have
since taken place. Most recently in March 2014, the
Attorney General – again through the DEA – used his
temporary scheduling authority to place 10 synthetic
cathinones on Schedule I of the CSA.
Once scheduled through this temporary scheduling
process, a substance may remain on Schedule I for two
years. The Attorney General then has the authority to
keep the substance on Schedule I for an additional
one year before it must be removed or permanently
scheduled.
Combination products with less than 15 milligrams
of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine,
methamphetamine,
methadone,
hydromorphone
(Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin),
fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
Schedule III
Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined
as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical
and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse
potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but
more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III
drugs are:
Products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine
per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic
steroids, testosterone
Schedule IV
Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined
as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of
dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are:
Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin,
Ambien, Tramadol
Schedule V
Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined
as drugs with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV
and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of
certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for
antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some
examples of Schedule V drugs are:
cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of
codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil,
Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin
18
One could argue that drugs are an essential part
of the futurist spirit of the moment, in full swoon
with tech and science, and “now in the mainstream
blossoming of the mid-nineties underground ‘techno
pagan’ culture,” as author and psychedelic historian
Erik Davis puts it. The process of selecting, sampling,
and sometimes resynthesizing drugs is also connected
to the do-it-yourself culture of computer hacking,
another democratized technology. Many of these new
experimenters feel that simply by journaling their
experiences on the Internet, they are adding to the sum
of scientific knowledge about these compounds—
which, to a certain sort of person, means progress.
Information on state drug scheduling can be found on the website of the National Association of State Controlled Substances
Authorities (NASCSA)
There has never been a time when we’ve been more
open to the recognition that, as Hamilton Morris
says, “everything is chemical in the world,” so there’s
no reason to think that putting “chemicals in your
brain, which is made of chemicals, is bad.”
Since 2002, the DEA used its temporary scheduling
authority on 33 synthetic substances. Prior to 2002,
the most recent time the DEA exercised this authority
was in 1995. Over the past several years, the DEA has
taken several temporary scheduling actions.
• In May 2013, the DEA placed three synthetic
cannabinoids on the list of controlled substances
under Schedule I of the CSA.
• In November 2013, the DEA placed three
synthetic phenethylamines on Schedule I.
• In February 2014, the DEA placed four synthetic
cannabinoids on Schedule I.
• In March 2014, the DEA placed 10 synthetic
cathinones on Schedule I.
Of note, the last 33 substances to have been
temporarily (and, for 6 of them, subsequently
permanently) placed on Schedule I of the CSA are
synthetic substances.
But there’s another viewpoint. National ER visits, the
accepted metric for drug trends, found a record 49
novel compounds in 2011. “We’re starting to get a
big-time problem with these new drugs,” says Rusty
Payne, an agent at the DEA’s national office. “It turns
out that we, as Americans, have an appetite for silly
things like synthetics.”
Excerpted from “Travels in the New Psychedelic Bazaar,” by
Vanessa Grigoriadis, New York Magazine, 2013
19
ROCIC Can Assist With Your Investigations
I
nformation sharing is vitally important to drug investigations. The Criminal Intelligence Unit can provide
valuable background information on suspects and organizations. The RISSIntel database holds a wealth of
information on drug topics, as does the RISSLeads Website. RISSafe can be used to prevent blue-on-blue
safety conflicts. RISSGang provides information on drug gangs and others involved in the drug trade.
Each month ROCIC Publications distributes a Bulletin PDF containing investigative articles from 14 states
in the Southeast, and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Publications unit also posts new crime
articles daily on http://rocic.riss.net/publications so officers can stay up-to-date on recent crimes and trends.
The ROCIC Publications Unit produces reports on topics of interest to law enforcement. ROCIC Publications
has produced at least five relevant Special Research Reports of interest to investigators; all can be found on the
secure ROCIC Website:
•
•
•
•
Bath Salts: Deadly New Designer Drug
Emerging Drug Trends
DMT: Psychedelic Hallucinogen
Vapor: Concentrated THC, Electronic Cigarettes
and Vaporizers
• Penetrating the Darknet
The ROCIC Technical Services Unit loans out
equipment to agencies with limited budgets. Tutorial
videos on video surveillance systems, GPS trackers,
and cameras are available at http://rocic.riss.net/
publications/tour.
The ROCIC Analytical Unit can help officers
prepare for court. Cell tower maps can be developed,
photos can be blown up for court presentations, video
surveillance footage can be enhanced, evidence can be
retrieved from electronic devices, and timelines and
charts can be produced.
Training announcements for drug investigators, and
other types of crimes, are posted to ROCIC’s training
website on www.rocic.com and distributed by their
Law Enforcement Coordinators. LECs also distribute
BOLOs, bulletins, and other information throughout
the region using specialized email distribution lists.
►Call 1-800-238-7985 for more information on how ROCIC
can assist your investigation.
20
Information on Synthetic Drugs
DEA Fact Sheets on synthetic drugs and many other drugs are available for download at:
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/index.html
The descriptions on these pages are excerpted and do not include chemical and
pharmacology data, for example. Most are dated 2012 or 2013.
Synthetic Cannabinoids
AB-FUBINACA
products that are smoked for their psychoactive
effects. Poison control centers continue to report
adverse health effects in response to the abuse
of synthetic cannabinoids and this abuse is both
a public health and safety concern. STRIDE and
NFLIS contain 896 reports in 2013. Bulk quantities
and plant material (synthetic cannabinoid products)
laced with ABFUBINACA have been encountered.
AB-FUBINACA is a synthetic cannabinoid recently
encountered on the designer drug market and has
been found laced on plant material and marketed
under the guise of herbal incense products. ABFUBINACA was previously reported in a patent by
Pfizer in 2009. There are no commercial or medical
uses for this substance. AB-FUBINACA has been
encountered in numerous synthetic cannabinoid
AKB48 (APINACA) and 5F-AKB48 (5F-APINACA)
to the abuse of herbal incense products and this
abuse is both a public health and safety concern.
STRIDE and NFLIS contain 47 reports for AKB48 in
2011. In 2012, these databases contain 527 reports
for AKB48 and 81 reports for 5F-AKB48 or FluoroAKB48 (isomer undetermined). Bulk quantities and
plant material (herbal incense products) laced with
AKB48 and 5F-AKB48 have been encountered.
AKB48 and 5F-AKB48 were not previously reported
in the scientific literature prior to their appearance on
the designer drug market. There are no commercial
or medical uses for these substances. AKB48 and
5F-AKB48 have been encountered as adulterants
in numerous herbal products that are smoked for
their psychoactive effects. Poison control centers
continue to report adverse health effects in response
CP-47,497 and homologues
5-(1,1-Dimethylheptyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol
[Synthetic Cannabinoid in Herbal Products]
identified in herbal incense mixtures which are
smoked for their psychoactive effects. The primary
abusers are youth purchasing these substances
from internet websites, gas stations, convenience
stores, tobacco shops and head shops. Federal,
state, and local forensic laboratories identified 17
exhibits as CP-47,497 and its C8 homologue from
2010 to 2012.
CP-47,497 is a synthetic cannabinoid agonist
without the classical cannabinoid chemical
structure. It is used in scientific research as a tool
to study the cannabinoid system. CP-47,497 and
its homologues have been identified in herbal
incense mixtures, with names including “Spice”,
“K2”, and others, sold via the Internet, gas
stations, convenience stores, tobacco shops and
head shops. CP-47,497 homologues have been
(Continued on Next Page)
21
Synthetic Cannabinoids (cont.)
HU-210
[(6aR,10aR)-9-(hydroxymethyl)-6,6-dimethyl-3-(2-methyloctan-2-yl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]
chromen-1-ol)]
[Purported Ingredient of “Spice”]
HU-210 is structurally and pharmacologically similar
to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active
ingredient of marijuana, and it was synthesized
around 1988. It was recently purported to be found
in the herbal mixture “Spice”, sold in European
countries mainly via internet shops. HU-210 is in
schedule I of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.
licit Uses: HU-210 is purported to be an ingredient
in the herbal mixture “Spice” which may be smoked
for its psychoactive effects.
JWH-018
1-Pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole
in numerous herbal incense products including
“Spice”, “K2”, and other similar products which are
smoked for their psychoactive effects. The primary
abusers are youth purchasing these substances
from Internet websites, gas stations, convenience
stores, tobacco shops and head shops. JWH-018
exhibits identified by forensic laboratories increased
from 21 in 2009 to 3,264 in 2011. In 2012, the
number of JWH-018 identified exhibits decreased
to 982.
JWH-018 is a synthetic cannabinoid agonist without
the classical cannabinoid chemical structure. It was
used in scientific research as a tool to study the
cannabinoid system. JWH-018 has been identified
in herbal incense mixtures, with names including
“Spice”, “K2”, and others, sold via the Internet, gas
head shops. JWH-018 substance has no known
legitimate use outside of research and is purposely
spiked on plant material. It has been identified
JWH-073
1-Butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole
herbal products including “Spice”, “K2”, “K3”,
and others. These products are smoked for their
psychoactive effects. The primary abusers are
youth purchasing these substances from Internet
websites, gas stations, convenience stores, tobacco
shops and head shops. JWH-073 exhibits identified
by forensic laboratories increased from 2 in 2009
to 573 in 2011. In 2012, the number of JWH-073
identified exhibits decreased to 118.
JWH-073 is a synthetic cannabinoid agonist without
the classical cannabinoid chemical structure. It is
used in scientific research as a tool to study the
cannabinoid system. JWH-073 has been identified
in herbal incense mixtures, with names including
“Spice”, “K2”, and others, sold via the Internet, gas
head shops. JWH-073 has no known legitimate use
outside of research and the substance has been
identified spiked on plant material in numerous
22
Synthetic Cannabinoids (cont.)
PB-22 and 5F-PB-22
PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 are two synthetic
cannabinoids recently encountered on the designer
drug market. Both PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 have
been found laced on plant material and marketed
under the guise of herbal incense products. PB-22
and 5F-PB-22 are likely to share effects with two
schedule I substances also encountered laced on
plant material, JWH-018 and AM2201. In response
to State and Federal control of JWH-018 and
other synthetic cannabinoids, a transition to new
synthetic cannabinoids laced on plant material has
been observed. 5F-PB-22 for human use. PB-22
and 5F-PB-22 were not previously reported prior
to their appearance on the designer drug market.
There are no commercial or medical uses for these
substances. PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 have been
encountered in numerous herbal products that are
smoked for their psychoactive effects. Information
on user population in the U.S. is limited, and
includes information from drug user internet forums.
PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 abuse is not monitored by
any national drug abuse surveys. Poison control
centers continue to report adverse health effects in
response to the abuse of herbal incense products
and this abuse is both a public health and safety
concern. STRIDE and NFLIS contain 1,529 reports
for PB-22 and 1,462 reports for 5F-PB-22 from
January through December 2013. Bulk quantities
and plant material (herbal incense products) laced
with PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 have been encountered.
Medical examiner and postmortem toxicology
reports demonstrate the involvement of 5F–PB–22
in the death of at least five individuals.
UR-144 (TCMP-018; KM-X1) and XLR11 (5-F-UR-144)
Various synthetic cannabinoids (e.g., JWH-018,
JWH- 073, etc.) laced on plant material have
been encountered by law enforcement in recent
years. These are promoted under the guise of
herbal incense products. These products laced
with synthetic cannabinoids are smoked for their
psychoactive effects. In response to State and
Federal control of these synthetic cannabinoids,
a transition to new synthetic cannabinoids laced
on plant material has been observed. UR-144 and
XLR11 are two such synthetic cannabinoids recently
encountered on the designer drug market. UR-144
was first reported in the scientific literature by Frost
and colleagues in 2010 as a research tool in the
investigation of the cannabinoid system. XLR11
was not previously reported prior to encountering
on the designer drug market. There are no
commercial or medical uses for these substances.
UR-144 and XLR11 have been encountered as
adulterants in numerous herbal products that are
smoked for their psychoactive effects. Poison
control centers continue to report adverse health
effects in response to the abuse of herbal incense
products and this abuse is both a public health and
safety concern. STRIDE and NFLIS contain over
5,200 reports for UR-144 and over 7,200 reports for
XLR11 in 2012. Bulk quantities and plant material
(herbal incense products) laced with UR-144 and
XLR11 have been encountered.
23
Synthetic Cathinones
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(Street Names: MDMA, Ecstasy, XTC, E, X, Beans, Adams)
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA)
is a synthetic drug possessing both stimulant and
mild hallucinogenic properties. On the street it is
known as Ecstasy, XTC, E, X, Beans, and Adams.
Adolescents and young adults use it to promote
euphoria, feelings of closeness, empathy, sexuality,
and to reduce inhibitions. It is considered a “party
drug” and obtained at “rave” or “techno” parties.
However, its abuse has expanded to include other
settings outside of the rave scenes, such as a
college campus.
Abusers are adolescents and young adults. The
Monitoring the Future (MTF) study revealed that
annual use of ecstasy decreased significantly for
8th, 10th, and 12th graders from 2011 to 2012.
For 8th graders, ecstasy use decreased from
1.7% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2012. Annual prevalence
of ecstasy use decreased from 4.5% to 3.0% for
10th graders and decreased from 5.3% to 3.8% for
12th grade students. According the 2011 National
Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), there
were 14.6 million lifetime users of ecstasy among
people age 12 and older. In 2011, there were 2.4
million users of ecstasy in the past year, according
to the NSDUH. DAWN ED indicates that there
were 22,498 emergency department visit related
to MDMA in 2011. The Florida Department of Law
Enforcement reports that five deaths in Florida
were related to MDMA for January to June 2012.
Seized MDMA in the U.S. is primarily manufactured
in clandestine laboratories in the Netherlands
and Belgium. MDMA destined to the U.S. from
the Netherlands is transferred through Germany
and Poland and smuggled into the U.S. via body
carriers, by air/sea cargo, luggage, and by express
mail. Another significant source country is Canada.
Operation Candy Box identified an international
drug trafficking organization through which up to
one million MDMA tablets per month were smuggled
into the U.S. A small number of MDMA clandestine
laboratories have been identified operating in the
U.S.
MDMA is mainly distributed in tablet form. Ecstasy
tablets most often contain MDMA alone. Many socalled Ecstasy tablets may contain other substances
(e.g., MDA, methamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine,
amphetamine), either alone or in combination with
MDMA. MDMA tablets are sold with logos, creating
brand names for users to seek out. MDMA is also
distributed in capsules, powder, and liquid forms.
Prices for a tablet range from $3 to $45.
MDMA is available in every region of the country,
principally in large metropolitan areas. Los
Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; and New York, NY are
the primary market areas for MDMA smuggled into
the U.S. from Western European source countries.
International traffickers use south Florida as a base
of operations for the importation and distribution of
MDMA.
According to the National Forensic Laboratory
Information System (NFLIS) and the System to
Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence (STRIDE)
data 4,720 exhibits were identified as MDMA in
2012.
24
Synthetic Cathinones (cont.)
4-Methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone)
(Street Names: 4-MMC, meow meow, m-CAT, bounce, bubbles, mad cow)
bleeding, dilated pupils, seizures, nausea and
vomiting. There have been reports of deaths in
which mephedrone was either implicated or ruled
as the cause of death.
According to self-reported drug users, the amounts
for snorting mephedrone ranged from 25 to 75
milligrams but for oral administration it ranged
from 150 to 250 milligrams. Following oral or nasal
ingestions of mephedrone, users report that desired
effects occur 15 to 45 minutes after administration.
Mephedrone is popular with youths in urban
environments with males appearing to use synthetic
cathinones more than females. Information also
suggests that mephedrone is used by several
population groups such as young adults, mid-to-late
adolescents, and older adults. Mephedrone is sold
over the Internet and at local retail shops where it
is promoted as “a research chemical”, “bath salts”
or “plant food.” Substances identified by forensic
laboratories as mephedrone increased from 10
reports in 2009 to 336 reports in 2011 and then
decreased to 60 reports in 2012. Law enforcement
officials have encountered mephedrone in 36 states
since 2009.
4-Methylmethcathinone
(mephedrone)
is
a
designer drug of the phenethylamine class and
shares substantial structural similarities with
methcathinone (Schedule I). Drugs from this
class of compounds are known to produce central
nervous system stimulation, psychoactivity and
hallucinations.
Evidence from law enforcement indicates that the
abuse of mephedrone as a recreational substance
is widespread and growing. From 2009 to 2011,
law enforcement agencies have documented
mephedrone seizures throughout the United
States. Mephedrone abuse has been associated
with toxicity. Several cases of acute toxicity have
been reported for the ingestion of mephedrone.
Furthermore, deaths have been reported from the
abuse of mephedrone. Individuals have presented
at emergency departments following exposures to
mephedrone. The adverse health effects reported
for mephedrone are similar to those seen with
other stimulant drugs. Adverse effects reported
by abusers of mephedrone include increased
heart rate, increased blood pressure, chest pain,
agitation, irritability, dizziness, delusions, nose
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe
(Street names: N-bomb, Smiles, 25I, 25C, 25B)
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe are
three synthetic substances recently encountered
on the designer drug market. These substances are
sold online and through illicit channels, commonly
purported to be illicit hallucinogens such as LSD.
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe
target the same 5-HT2A (serotonin) receptor as
many other hallucinogens, including Schedule I
hallucinogens like LSD, 2C-I, 2C-C, and 2C-B.
These substances have been encountered as
powders, liquid solutions, laced on edible items, and
soaked onto blotter papers. Available data suggests
that extremely small amounts of these substances
can cause seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest,
and death.
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe were
previously investigated as research tools to probe
the location of 5-HT2A receptors in the central
nervous system of nonhuman mammals.
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe are
abused by a variety of delivery methods for their
hallucinogenic properties. Some suppliers may
purport or mistake these substances to be LSD or
other Schedule I hallucinogens.
Information on user population in the U.S. is limited,
and includes information from law enforcement
encounters, emergency departments, medical
examiners, and drug user internet forums.
Emergency departments continue to publish cases
of severe toxicity due to these substances. Reports
25
Synthetic Cathinones (cont.)
25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25B-NBOMe (cont.)
(Street names: N-bomb, Smiles, 25I, 25C, 25B)
contain 849 reports for 25I-NBOMe, 171 reports
for 25C-NBOMe, and 24 reports for 25B-NBOMe
between June 2011 and June 2013. Bulk quantities
of powdered material and blotter paper laced with
some combination of 25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe,
and 25B-NBOMe have been encountered.
from medical examiners and toxicology labs link
some combination of 25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe,
and 25B-NBOMe to the death of at least 19
individuals, aged 15 to 29 years, in the U.S. between
March 2012 and August 2013.
Federal, state and local forensic laboratories
3,4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone (Methylone)
In 2011, there were 1,857 methylone reports. The
methylone reports more than doubled to 4,066 in
2012. From January to June 2013, laboratories
have already identified 3,976 methylone reports.
Methylone has been found in products falsely
marketed as research chemicals, plant food, or
bath salts. These products are often sold at smoke
shops, head shops, convenience stores, adult book
stores, and gas stations and can also be purchased
on the Internet. Recently, methylone has been
identified in law enforcement seizures that were
initially suspected to be MDMA and marketed as
“Molly.”
3,4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone
(methylone)
is a designer drug of the phenethylamine class.
Methylone is a synthetic cathinone with substantial
chemical, structural, and pharmacological similarities
to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA,
ecstasy). It is the β-keto analogue of MDMA.
Known as Bath salt, bk-MDMA, MDMC, MDMCAT,
Explosion, Ease, Molly.
Law enforcement has encountered methylone in
the United States as well as in several countries
including the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Japan,
and Sweden. Methylone was first identified by
forensic laboratories in 2009, with four drug reports.
3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
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. Street Names are bath salts,
Ivory Wave, plant fertilizer, Vanilla Sky, and
Energy-1.
MDPV, like some other substances in this class, is
a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant.
MDPV has been identified in a seized product
called Ivory Wave. It has been sold as a bath salt in
500 mg packets with the label indicating “for novelty
use only” or “not for human consumption” without
any instructions for dosage.
DEA’s National Forensic Laboratory Information
System (NFLIS) indicates that federal, state and
local law enforcement officials encountered MDPV
in 49 states and the District of Columbia since 2009.
The number of MDPV reports increased from two in
2009 to 380 in 2010 and to 3,625 in 2011. In 2012,
the number of MDPV reports decreased slightly to
3,377.
26
Sources of Information
Interview with Lt. Larry Mullins, Wise County, Va. Sheriff’s Office
Interview with Lt. Richard Stallard, Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force
DEA-Miami Bulletin
“South Florida: Primary Market for New Chinese Synthetic Designer Drug Flakka”
DEA-MIA-BUL-126-15, April 2015
Congressional Research Service
“Synthetic Drugs: Overview and Issues for Congress”
by Lisa Sacco and Kristin Finklea, Aug. 15, 2014
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i35/US-Criminalizes-Designer-Drugs.html
“US Criminalizes Designer Drugs”
Chemical & Engineering News, by Cheryl Hogue, Aug. 27, 2012
http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/3/5775406/alexander-sasha-shulgin-dies-at-88-godfather-of-ecstasy
“’Godfather of ecstasy’ Alexander Shulgin dies at 88”
The Verge, by Jacob Kastrenakes, June 3, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/magazine/30ECSTASY.html
“Dr. Ecstasy”
NYT Magazine, by Drake Bennett, Jan. 30, 2005
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i34/Dirty-Pictures.html
“Dirty Pictures”
Chemical & Engineering News, by Jovana Grbic, Aug. 14, 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/03/30/synthetic-marijuana-what-it-is-and-why-it-should-be-banned/
“Why Synthetic Marijuana Is More Toxic To The Brain Than Pot”
Forbes.com, by Alice Walton, Aug. 28, 2014
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/28717005/west-al-drug-agents-see-spike-in-spice-overdoses-arrests
“West AL drug agents see spike in spice overdoses, arrests”
Fox-WBRC, by Melynda Schauer, April 10, 2015
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/03/birmingham_man_sentenced_to_pr_6.html
“Birmingham man sentenced to prison for running Spice operation out of Southside apartment”
AL.com, by Kent Faulk, March 12, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/18/health/new-york-synthetic-marijuana-hospitalizations/
“Rash of hospitalizations in New York state linked to synthetic marijuana”
CNN, by Lorenzo Ferrigno, April 18, 2015
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20131229/NEWS/131229739
“Rise of Spice popularity in Dothan has police busy”
Dothan Eagle, by Matt Elofson, Dec. 29, 2013
http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/emerging-trends
“New Synthetic Cannabinoids—Cloud 9, Mojo, etc.”
Posted Nov. 13, 2014
27
http://wreg.com/2015/04/26/hospitals-see-spike-in-synthetic-marijuana-ov%e2%80%8berdoses/
“Hospitals see spike in synthetic marijuana overdoses”
CBS, by Ashley Forest, April 26, 2015
“Updated Results From DEA’s Largest-Ever Global Synthetic Drug Takedown Yesterday”
DEA Public Affairs, June 26, 2013
Mis-branded synthetic marijuana (cannabinoids), OCDETF cases against James M. Bolin and James P. Bolin, New Lenox, Ill., February 2014.
http://www.dea.gov/divisions/no/2015/no042015.shtml
“Connecticut Man Sentenced to 1,440 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Spice”
DEA, April 20, 2015
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18649853/blaine-man-gets-10-years-in-friends-2c-e-overdose-death
“Blaine man gets 10 years in friend’s 2C-E overdose death”
KMSP-TV-Minneapolis, by Bill Keller, May 29, 2012
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/new-black-market-designer-drugs-why-now
“New Black Market Designer Drugs: Why Now?
2C-E and other illicit new drugs are a danger to users and a threat to psychedelic research, experts warn”
WebMD Feature, by Daniel J. DeNoon
http://www.dea.gov/divisions/mia/2014/mia121214.shtml
“Fifteen Suspects Entangled in Operation Synthetic Web”
DEA Public Information Officer (954) 660-4602, Dec. 12, 2014
http://www.dea.gov/divisions/dal/2014/dal102814.shtml
“Federal Jury Convicts Brothers in Synthetic Drug Distribution Conspiracy”
DEA Public Information Officer-Dallas Division, Oct. 28, 2014
http://www.dea.gov/divisions/hq/2014/hq050714.shtml
“Project Synergy Phase II continues attack on drug networks, sources of supply, global money flow”
DEA Public Affairs, (202) 307-7977, May 7, 2014
http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/04/Glimpse-Inside-Sophisticated-World-Synthetic.html
“A Glimpse Inside The Sophisticated World Of Synthetic Cannabinoids”
Chemical and Engineering News, by Bethany Halford, April 10, 2015
http://k2zombiedc.com/zombie-survival-guide/
“K2 Zombie Survival Guide (DC)”
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/area-escapes-sting-of-drug-flakka-which-is-affecting-southern/article_ea93d758-f2a0-11e4bb8a-87ef6b3f13de.html
“Area escapes sting of drug Flakka, which is affecting Southern states”
Sun-Chronicle, by Jim Hand, May 4, 2015
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ultra-goer-died-from-synthetic-drug-alpha-pvp-6396603
“Ultra-Goer Died From Synthetic Drug Alpha-PVP”
Miami New Times, by Michael Miller, Sept. 25, 2014
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0430/What-s-flakka-And-why-are-Florida-police-concerned
“What’s flakka? And why are Florida police concerned?”
Christian Science Monitor, by Curt Anderson-AP, April 30, 2015
28
Upstate NY Poison Center: Hospital and Pre-Hospital Care Provider Alert
April 16, 2015
“South Florida: Primary Market for New Chinese Synthetic Designer Drug “Flakka”
DEA Bulletin, April 2015
http://www.vice.com/read/florida-authorities-are-cracking-down-on-flakka-smugglers-and-dealers-505
“The DEA Is Cracking Down on Flakka Smugglers and Dealers in Florida”
Vice.com, by Francisco Alvarado, May 5, 2015
http://www.ksat.com/content/pns/ksat/news/2015/04/03/new--cheap--highly-addictive-drug-grows-in-popularity.html
“New, cheap, highly addictive drug grows in popularity”
KSAT.com, April 3, 2015
http://www.timesnews.net/article/9068939/rock-bottom-police-battle-new-illicit-drug-dubbed-gravel
“Rock bottom: Police battle new illicit drug dubbed gravel”
TimesNews, by Rain Smith, Oct. 22, 2013
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/article/112347/gravel-drug-turns-up-in-washington-county
“Gravel drug turns up in Washington County”
Johnson City Press, by Becky Campbell, Nov. 9, 2013
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/04/10/doctors-express-concern-over-synthetic-drug-that-can-induce-excited-delirium/
“Doctors express concern over synthetic drug that can induce excited delirium”
FoxNews.com, by Melinda Carstensen, April 10, 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2015/04/04/flakka-the-new-drug-you-need-to-know-about/
“Flakka: The New Designer Drug You Need To Know About”
Forbes, by Robert Glatter MD, April 4, 2015
http://crimefeed.com/2015/04/flakka-coming-five-facts-lethal-designer-drug-taking-florida/
“Flakka Is Coming: 5 Things You Should Know About Florida’s Frightening New Drug Of Choice”
CrimeFeed, April 9, 2015 by Emily Kaiser
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/paranoid-induced-florida-crime-wave-fuelled-flakka-article-1.2177208
“Paranoia-induced Florida crime wave fueled by flakka, a cheap synthetic drug more potent than bath salts (video)
New York Daily News, by Jason Molinet, April 8, 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2015/04/15/the-backstory-you-really-need-to-know-about-flakka-and-other-synthetic-drugs/
“The Backstory You Really Need To Know About Flakka And Other Synthetic Drugs”
Forbes, by David DiSalvo, April 15, 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/06/05/the-straight-dope-on-what-bath-salts-do-to-your-brain-and-why-theyre-dangerous/
“The Straight Dope on What Bath Salts Do to Your Brain and Why They’re Dangerous”
Forbes, by David DiSalvo, June 5, 2012
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida-man-high-on-flakka-attacked-officer-said-he-was-god-had-sex-with-tree-police-say/32379106
“Florida man high on flakka attacked officer, said he was God, had sex with tree, police say”
ClickOrlando.com, by Daniel Dahm, April 15, 2015
29
http://qz.com/384840/flakka-floridas-latest-drug-scourge-can-easily-be-purchased-online-in-china/
“Flakka, Florida’s latest drug scourge, can easily be purchased online in China”
Quartz, by Heather Timmons, April 16, 2015
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/44271/20150405/new-designer-drug-flakka-promises-excited-delirium-users-headache-parents.htm
“New Designer Drug Flakka Promises ‘Excited Delirium’ For Users And Headache For Parents And Police”
TechTimes, by James Maynard, April 5, 2015
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22108839
National Center for Biotechnology Information
J.M. Prosser, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, March 2012
http://www.syracuse.com/health/index.ssf/2015/05/synthetic_pot_outbreak_sends_179_to_hospitals_mostly_in_onondaga_county.html
“CNY synthetic pot outbreak sends 179 to hospitals”
Syracuse.com, by James Mulder, May 5, 2015
http://www.thepoisonreview.com/2015/04/18/27-laboratory-confirmed-fatalities-from-pmma-dr-death/
“27 fatalities from laboratory-confirmed exposure to PMMA (Dr. Death)”
Poison Review, April 18, 2015
http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/suppl/2015/03/04/3.1.E83.DC1/2014-0070-appendix_2.pdf
PMA/PMMA FAQ Factsheet
http://www.dea.gov/divisions/hq/2015/hq031815.shtml
“DEA Issues Nationwide Alert on Fentanyl as Threat to Health and Public Safety”
DEA Public Affairs (202) 307-7977, March 18, 2015
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/07/mississippi-spice-overdoses/25428467/
“Investigators: Mississippi spice overdoses linked”
USA Today, by Therese Apel, April 7, 2015
http://nymag.com/news/features/synthetic-drugs-2013-4/
“Travels in the New Psychedelic Bazaar”
New York Magazine, by Vanessa Grigoriadis, April 7, 2013
This Special Research Report was supported by Grant No. 2014-RS-CX-0008, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of Justice Programs also coordinates the activities of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the
National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions
in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position of ROCIC or the United States Department of Justice.
30

Synthetic Drugs - Ohio Crime Prevention Association

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