[February 14, 2012]

New Synthetic Drugs Circumvent DEA Scheduled Chemicals Found in Synthetic Cannabinoids

There is no sign of a slowdown in the appearance of new drugs in the illicit designer drug pipeline, according to data just released from NMS Labs, the nation's leader in designer drug testing innovation. Among synthetic cannabinoids, the latest trends point toward an increase in the use of drugs not explicitly covered under the latest Federal drug laws (JWH-210, JWH-122, and AM-2201).

This increase is subsequent to a decline in positive results for the compounds JWH-018 and JWH-073 scheduled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in 2011. "However, simply making the new drugs illegal is not likely to make them go away. Although there is a decline in the use of JWH-018 and JWH-073,recent data from research groups in Florida, Michigan and Baltimore shows that the 'traditional' synthetic cannabinoids are still being used in spite of being scheduled on the state and federal level, and that there is now an established market for these products alongside traditional recreational drugs," said Dr. Barry Logan, Director of NMS Labs Designer Drug Initiative.

Logan goes on to state, "In my opinion, JWH-210, JWH-122, and AM-2201 are substantially chemically similar to JWH-018 and JWH-073 and have been demonstrated to have marijuana-like effects in impaired drivers. This means they should meet the Federal standard for an analog and should be considered illegal."

"The latest trend we are seeing is the appearance of completely new drugs. These new drugs are different in design from the current synthetic drugs and alter the brain's chemistry by amplifying the effects of normal brain chemicals, producing the same marijuana-like effects," said Logan. "These drugs, which are FAAH inhibitors, also modulate many other biochemical processes raising concerns about unanticipated side effects and drug interactions. The fact that these substances are altering the chemistry of the brain is alarming and we have no way to predict the short-term and long-term health impacts associated with the use of these substances."

NMS Labs plans to release current statistics showing the most frequently detected drugs in products purchased online and the positive results in its toxicology tests conducted in at-risk populations, post-accident, impaired driving and postmortem.

NMS Labs Designer Drugs Trends Report can be downloaded at http://www.nmslabs.com/services-forensic-K2-testing.

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