Drug Court Practitioner Fact Sheet

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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.

3 NATIONAL DRUG COURT INSTITUTE

Paul L. Cary, M.S., is director of the Toxicology and Drug 6. Understanding the Spice Phenomenon, A Monitoring Laboratory at University of Missouri Health Wohlfarth, W Weinmann in Bioanalysis, May Care in Columbia Missouri. For the past thirty years, Mr. 2010, Vol. 2, No. 5, Pages 965-979. Cary has been actively involved in the management of a nationally-recognized toxicology laboratory (SAMHSA cer - 7. Withdrawal Phenomena and Dependence tified) that performs drug testing for drug courts, hospi - Syndrome After the Consumption of "Spice tals, mental health facilities, attorneys, coroners and med - Gold", Ulrich S. Zimmermann, Patricia R. ical examiners, athletic programs, and public and private Winkelmann, Max Pilhatsch, Josef A Nees, employers. He has authored numerous scientific publica - Rainer Spanagel, Katja Schulz in Deutsches tions and monographs, has served on a variety of clinical Ärzteblatt International Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; and technical advisory committees, teaches at the univer - 106(27):464–67. sity, is involved in drug testing research, and serves as a consultant in toxicology-related matters. Mr. Cary has 8. Identification of a Cannabinoid Analog as a New also provided judicial education including lecturing at the Type of Designer Drug in a Herbal Product, National Judicial College on alcohol pharmacology, the Nahoko Uchiyama, Ruri Kikura-Hanajiri, Nobuo use of expert testimony and on drug testing issues. He Kawahara, Yuji Haishima and Yukihiro Goda in has been certified as an expert and provided expert testi - mony in court (local, state and federal) and in labor arbi - Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin Vol. 57 tration. Mr. Cary has been a resource to drug court teams (2009), No. 4 p. 439. throughout the nation and overseas and serves as visiting 9. Spice and Other Herbal Blends: Harmless faculty for the National Association of Drug Court Incense or Cannabinoid Designer Drugs?, Professionals, the Center for Court Innovation, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and Auwärter, V., Dresen, S., Weinmann, W., Muller, the National Drug Court Institute. M., Putz, M., Ferreiros, N., in Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Volume 44, 832–837, 2009. References 10. Design, Synthesis, and Pharmacology of Cannabimimetic Indoles, Huffman, J.W., Dai, Due to the nature of this subject matter and the D., Martin, B.R., Compton, D.R., in Biomedical limited amount of scientific information on syn - Chemistry, Volume 4, 563–566, 1994. thetic cannabinoids, much of the source material 11. Consideration of the Major Cannabinoid used in this publication was obtained from news Agonists. in Advisory Council on the Misuse of organizations, relevant web sites and personal Drugs (ACMD), July 2009. communications with government officials, researchers, laboratory directors and actual 12. The Growing Buzz on 'Spice' -- the Marijuana synthetic cannabinoids users. Other source Alternative, by Michael W. Savage, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, July 10, 2010. materials included the following: 13. Spice: A Never Ending Story?, Rainer Lindigkeit, 1. Analytical Profile of Two Synthetic Cannabinoids Anja Boehme, Ina Eiserloh, Maike Luebbecke, – JWH-018 ND JWH-073, Malinda Combs and Marion Wiggermann, Ludger Ernst, Till Beuerle, Jeremiah A. Morris, in Journal Clandestine in Forensic Science International Volume 191, Laboratory Investigating Chemists Association, (2009) 58–63. Volume 20, Number 2, April 2010. 14. Fact Sheet – A Selection of Internet-Based 2. The Synthetic Cannabinoid HU210 Induces Information – JWH-018, Nathalie Deprez and Spatial Memory Deficits and Suppresses Marc Roelands, Scientific Institute of Public Hippocampal Firing Rate in Rats, RG Pertwee, Health, Brussels, November 2008. RE Hampson, G Riedel in British Journal Pharmacology, Volume 151(5): 688–700, July 2009. 3. Spice – Request for Information, DEA – Office Publisher of Diversion Control, National Forensic Carolyn Hardin, M.P.A. Laboratory Information System, Year 2008 Senior Director, National Drug Court Institute Annual Report. National Drug Court Institute 4. DEA, Drugs and Chemicals of Concern, July 2009. 1029 N. Royal Street, Suite 201 Alexandria, VA 22314 5. Spice Drugs as a New Trend: Mode of Action, 703.575.9400 Identification and Legislation, I. Vardakou, C. 703.575.9402 fax Pistos, and Ch. Spiliopoulou, in Toxicology [email protected] Letter, in Press.