Analysis of the prevalence and coexistence of synthetic cannabinoids in “herbal high” products in Poland

Abstract

Herbal highs'' are a group of products marketed in recent years as legal substitutes for marijuana. This article presents the results of examinations performed on samples seized in ''head shops'' and from individuals during a 3.5-year period, between mid-2008 and the end of 2011 in Poland. Of over 2000 samples delivered for analysis, 420 preparations were selected for this study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry were used for identification of psychoactive components, and high-performance liquid chromatography was used for their quantitation. The most common ingredients of herbal highs were: JWH-081 (144 products), JWH-018 (103), RCS-4 (92), JWH-073 (89), JWH-250 (75), JWH-122 (69), cannabicyclohexanol (55), and JWH-210 (38). Over 50 % of the products contained two or more active ingredients; 136 products (32.4 %) contained two; 56 products (13.3 %) contained three; and 22 (5.2 %) contained more than three. Common combinations of ingredients were investigated by the graph method; substances coexisted mainly with those introduced into the drug market in a similar period of time. The most common dual combinations were JWH-081 ? RCS-4 (18 products), JWH-073 ? JWH-250 (16), and JWH-081 ? JWH-250 (12). JWH-081 was blended with almost all detected synthetic cannabinoids. The main risks of the use of these substances were due to ignorance of great variation in the content and composition of synthetic cannabinoids even if the products had identical labels. This inconsistency could cause serious health damage to users, while ignorance of the fact that more than one third of the products being sold at head shops contain illicit compound(s) could result in unexpected arrest.

Structure–activity relationships of synthetic cannabinoid designer drug RCS-4 and its regioisomers and C4 homologues

“…In 2011, RCS-4 was the third most common substance identified in ''herbal highs'' products obtained in Poland [20]. A survey of SC products in Germany in 2011 found RCS-4 in a herbal blend at a concentration of 157 mg/g, one of the highest SC contents of all samples tested in that study [21].…”

Identification and quantification of metabolites of AB-CHMINACA in a urine specimen of an abuser

“…In recent years, various types of synthetic cannabinoids [1][2][3][4] and cathinone derivatives [5][6][7][8] have become widely distributed, and are now causing social problems throughout many parts of the world. The newly emerging drugs seem to have become more potent than the previous ones, and sometimes cause deaths [9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Identification and quantitation of 5-fluoro-ADB, one of the most dangerous synthetic cannabinoids, in the stomach contents and solid tissues of a human cadaver and in some herbal products

“…In recent years, synthetic cannabinoids [1][2][3][4][5] and cathinones [6][7][8][9] have become widely distributed, and are now causing social problems throughout many parts of the world. Although the traditional marijuana and hashish containing D 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol as the psychoactive compound have been associated with almost no fatalities thus far, two reports have described fatalities caused by the synthetic cannabinoids MAM-2201 [10] and NNEI [11].…”