Drug Court Practitioner Fact Sheet
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E T DRUG COURT U T I PRACTITIONER T S FACT SHEET N I SPICE, K2 AND THE PROBLEM OF SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS T By Paul Cary R U Many drug courts are experiencing a significant and disturbing surge in client’s use of synthetic cannabinoids. In many areas of the country O “herbal incense” can be legally purchased and smoked with impunity as specific drug detection methods slowly become available. Products such C as Spice and K2 have been widely reported as producing many of the same physiological effects as marijuana. Without laws to control its 1 . distribution, courts face a significant challenge in addressing the problem O N of synthetic cannabinoids. G , I V . L U O WHAT ARE SYNTHETIC opium in the 1920’s, synthetic hallucino - V gens (modifications of LSD and PCP) in CANNABINOIDS ? 0 R 1 the 1960’s, MDMA (ecstasy) and meth - 0 Synthetic cannabinoids represent the 2 cathinone in the 1980’s and the deriva - R most recent advent of “designer E tives of anabolic steroids used in major B O drugs.” Designer drugs are pharmaceu - T D league baseball in the last decade. C ticals, created or reformulated (if the O Synthetic cannabinoids are but the drug already exists) to avoid current R latest example of “look-a-like” drugs E laws (such as the Control Substance L C I created to indulge users attempting to F F Act) by modifying the molecular struc - O evade established restrictions. A tures of drugs to varying degrees. The E V I T clandestine manufacturers’ ability to Synthetic cannabinoids are marketed U C successfully modify a drug chemically under dozens of product names E N X E (so as to retain its pharmacological including Zombie World, Bad to the F E I activity while changing the structure Bone, Black Mamba, Blaze, Fire and H O C enough to skirt existing legal controls) Ice, Dark Night, Earthquake, Berry I , N drives the designer drug market. Blend, The Moon and G-Force. O T S T The goal is to satisfy users’ demands Dispensed in small packets (1-5 E L D for popular drugs that can be obtained grams each), nearly all contain the D A U without prescriptions or other legal moniker “herbal incense,” along H T constraints. with the disclaimer “not for human S E consumption.” Synthetic cannabinoids W The developmental history of designer N are retailed widely on the internet, drugs includes alternative esters of NATIONAL DRUG COURT INSTITUTE through “head” shops, alternative medicine drug. JWH-018 and JWH-073 were developed stores, and can even be purchased on eBay. by a researcher at Clemson University in 1995 While the content of each product is unique, for use in THC receptor research. The all of these products contain differing varieties researcher was John W. Huffman, hence the of herbs and other botanicals. The list below prefix JWH. Synthetic cannabinoids are partic - is typical: ularly useful in experiments designed to • Canavalia rosea: commonly known as beach determine the precise relationship between bean or bay bean – vine found in tropical and the structure of drugs, like delta 9-THC, and subtropical beach dunes brain receptor activity. By making incremental • Nymphaea caerulea: also known as Blue modifications to the cannabinoid molecule, Egyptian water lily researchers are able to identify THC’s active • Scutellaria nana: perennial herb also known sites, which promote our understanding of as Dwarf skullcap how marijuana effects the human body. • Pedicularis densiflora: known commonly as Indian warrior – a perennial herb ROWING OPULARITY • Leonotis leonurus: also known as Lion's Tail G P and Wild Dagga – a perennial shrub native to The first appearance of synthetic cannabinoids southern Africa sold as herbal incense occurred on the • Zornia latifolia: a perennial herb Internet in 2004. While Europe was the first • Nelumbo nucifera: known by a number of target market and misuse of herbal incense names including Indian Lotus, or simply Lotus was widespread there by 2008, its manifesta - – aquatic perennial commonly found in China tion in this country did not lag far behind. • Leonurus sibiricus: commonly called Reports of synthetic cannabinoids use in the Honeyweed or Siberian motherwort, herba - US began in earnest in 2008 and by 2009 ceous plant native to Asia products like Spice and K2 were nearly epi - While some of these plant species can pro - demic in parts of the country. In late 2008, the duce mild psychoactive or hallucinating effects first article appeared in the scientific literature if consumed, the significant marijuana-like (University Hospital in Freiburg, Germany) effects are not associated with the plant mate - describing the chemical analyses linking the rials themselves. The dried/crushed/chopped incense to synthetic cannabinoids. The Drug botanicals are sprayed with a liquid form of Enforcement Administration’s Office of synthetic cannabinoids, thus greatly enhancing Diversion Control published a one-page update their potency and creating the classic marijua - on Spice in its Year 2008 Annual Report. na “high” when the herbal incense is smoked. These synthetic cannabinoids go by such EFFECTS ON SYNTHETIC innocuous identifiers as: CANNABINOIDS USERS • HU-210 The reported pharmacological effects of • HU-211 smoked synthetic cannabinoids are very • CP 47,497 similar to that of marijuana. This comes as • JWH-018 no surprise given that Spice and K2 are THC agonists – meaning they chemically bind to • JWH-073 the same brain receptor (CB1) and trigger This is but a partial listing. The origins of many of the same responses as marijuana. these compounds are actually quite legiti - The physiological effects of synthetic cannabi - mate. HU-210 and HU-211 were synthesized noids include: in 1988 at Hebrew University in Israel. HU- • Increase heart rate & blood pressure 210 has anti-inflammatory properties and HU- • Altered state of consciousness 211 is an anesthetic agent. CP 47,497 was • Mild euphoria and relaxation developed by the pharmaceutical manufactur - • Perceptual alterations (time distortion) er Pfizer in 1980, and is also an analgesic 2 DRUG COURT PRACTITIONER FACT SHEET • Intensification of sensory experiences trend, the prospects for either on-site, rapid • Pronounced cognitive effects tests or laboratory-based screening appears • Impaired short-term memory unlikely. However, there are several national • Increase in reaction times laboratories that have begun to offer urine synthetic cannabinoid testing commercially, Some reports indicate that JWH-018 binds to utilizing sophisticated LC/MS/MS technology. the CB1 receptor with even greater affinity While these tests afford drug courts with than marijuana. Researchers in Japan have some detection options, many questions surveyed over 40 herbal preparations on the remain unresolved: Which of the many market and determined that the concentration synthetic cannabinoids/metabolites will be of synthetic cannabinoids varied by a factor of detected by these tests (likely to vary between fifteen, which likely explains the variability of laboratories)? What are the appropriate detec - the intensity of effects reported by users. tion cutoff levels? What is the detection Prolonged use of the synthetic cannabinoids window for synthetic cannabinoids? To what has also led to publications indicating that, like extent will LC/MS/MS testing be useful marijuana, Spice and K2 can produce with - without a preliminary screening test? Will the drawal symptoms and dependency syn - costs associated with testing for synthetic dromes similar to those identified in chronic cannabinoids influence the court’s ability to marijuana smokers. Recently, the American provide effective abstinence monitoring? Association of Poison Control Centers report - ed 567 cases in 41 states in which people As an alternative to or as an addition to testing, had suffered adverse reactions to Spice dur - courts are urged to use existing community ing the first half of 2010. As opposed to only supervision personnel to extend the court’s 13 cases reported in all of 2009. The long- surveillance reach. Increased search and term health ramifications of smoking synthet - seizure practices employing probation, law ic cannabinoids remain unstudied. enforcement and court marshals can be effective in monitoring client behaviors in situations where drug testing approaches are LAWS REGARDING SYNTHETIC insufficient. For clients suspected of synthetic CANNABINOIDS cannabinoids abuse, searches should be At the present time, there is no federal ban frequent, random, unannounced and occur on most of the synthetic cannabinoids. As a during non-governmental hours. An intrusive result, the current legal status of synthetic inspection of a client’s home, car, school, cannabinoids is an evolving patchwork of local work, “hangouts” and other restricted areas and state laws. Products such as Spice and provides a visible message to all participants K2 have been banned in approximately a as to the court’s monitoring vigilance. Some dozen states and in some local jurisdictions. courts have established sanctions of greater More such prohibitions are making their way severity if evidence of synthetic cannabinoids through many state legislatures. is identified – believing that the use of these drugs by clients is a purposeful attempt to As is often the case with designer drugs, the perpetrate a fraud on the court (since current ability to detect these compounds through testing for synthetic cannabinoids is limited). drug testing lags behind the popularity of their emergence. At the writing of this article, It is unclear as to whether the phenomenon of there are no screening tests capable of synthetic cannabinoids is a passing fancy or a detecting synthetic cannabinoids in urine. Due substance abuse trend that will remain taxing to the fact that pure synthetic cannabinoids to client monitoring efforts. With an uncertain and their metabolites are difficult to obtain legal future and limited drug detection strate - and combined with the reluctance of manu - gies, in the short term, evaluating synthetic facturers/laboratories to invest significant cannabinoids usage will continue to be a chal - resources in what may be a transient abuse lenging endeavor for drug court programs.