Drug Enforcement Administration EMERGING THREAT REPORT Fourth Quarter 2020 Special Testing and Research Laboratory

The Special Testing and Research Laboratory’s Emerging Trends Pro- by DEA. This data is a quarterly snapshot of the new psychoactive An identification is made when authenticated reference material is avail- gram compiled the data for this report through a query of archived substance market in the United States. able for comparison. When reference material is not available, the drug seizure and analysis information from drug evidence analyzed by the evidence is identified as “inconclusive.” A single unit of drug evidence The term new psychoactive substance (NPS) describes a recently emerged drug Drug Enforcement Administration’s laboratory system. This data is may have multiple sub-units. For the purposes of this document, each that may pose a public health threat. This includes synthetic cannabinoids, representative of drug evidence seized and analyzed in the date rang- unit of drug evidence counts as one identification regardless of the num- substituted cathinones, phenethylamines, opioids, tryptamines, benzodiaze- es annotated. This is not a comprehensive list of all new psychoactive ber of sub-units. Some seized drug evidence contains more than one pines, and a variety of other chemical classes. Due to the increase in seizures substances and is not representative of all evidence analyzed active ingredient; therefore, more than one identification can be made over the last several years, fentanyl is also included in this report. for a single unit. SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS OPIOIDS/ANALGESICS CATHINONES THERE WERE 8 SYNTHETIC CANNABINOID IDENTIFICATIONS IN THERE WERE IDENTIFICATIONS OF FENTANYL, FENTANYL-RELATED THERE WERE CATHINONE IDENTIFICATIONS THIS REPORTING THE FOURTH QUARTER OF CY2020. MDMB-4EN-PINACA WAS THE 483 13 MOST REPORTED SYNTHETIC CANNABINOID ACCOUNTING FOR COMPOUNDS, AND OTHER NOVEL OPIOIDS. FENTANYL ACCOUNTED FOR PERIOD. EUTYLONE WAS THE MOST REPORTED CATHINONE,

63% OF THE IDENTIFICATIONS. APPROXIMATELY 92% OF THE OPIOID IDENTIFICATIONS. OF THE ACCOUNTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 85% OF THE IDENTIFICATIONS.

No new cannabinoids were 442 IDENTIFICATIONS, FENTANYL WAS FOUND AS THE ONLY CON- 4F-MDMB-BUTINACA 1 reported this quarter. 4Cl-N,N-Dimethylcathinone 1 No new cathinones were TROLLED SUBSTANCE IN 62% OF THE IDENTIFICATIONS AND WITH HER- reported this quarter.

OIN IN APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE IDENTIFICATIONS. 5F-MDMB-PICA 3,4-Methylenedioxy-N- 2 1 benzylcathinone Valeryl Fentanyl 1 MDMB-4en-PINACA 5 Eutylone 11 Despropionyl p-Fluorofentanyl 1 No new opioids were reported for the first time this quarter. Brorphine 1 OTHER THERE WERE 55 IDENTIFICATIONS OF NPS BENZODIAZE- p-Fluorofentanyl 2 PINES. WAS THE MOST REPORTED The “other” category includes substances that could not be ACCOUNTING FOR 51% OF THE IDENTIFICATIONS. Acetylfentanyl 2 confirmed, psychoactive plants, PCP related substances, benzofurans, hallucinogens, tryptamines, and amphetamines. Deschloroetizolam 1 4-ANPP 34 No new benzodiazepines were THERE WERE 6 IDENTIFICATIONS CATEGORIZED AS INCONCLUSIVE 1 reported for the first time this Fentanyl 442 DURING THIS REPORTING PERIOD. quarter. 6

Clonazolam 8 Questions about this data are welcome and may be directed 11 to the DEA Emerging Trends Program at 703-668-3300 or [email protected] Etizolam 28 DEA PRB 2021-17a