Geographic Variability of Active Ingredients in Spice as an Indicator of Mechanisms of Distribution and Manufacture Within Alaska

Abstract

Designer drugs, like Spice, are synthetic psychoactive analogs of illegal substances with understudied health effects since they have traditionally been sold in packages labeled “not for human consumption” and the molecular structures can be specifically altered to circumvent legislation. Recent legislation has focused on regulating packaging and has reduced, but not eliminated, the distribution of Spice in Alaska. Legally obtained Spice samples from three geographic regions in Alaska were analyzed using liquid injection gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Most (70%) of the samples contained illegal cannabinoids that have been regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and 47% contained multiple active ingredients. We hypothesized that the heterogeneity of the active ingredients between brands and across regions could be used to indicate small- or larger-scale manufacturing, and the results indicate multiple manufacturing scales. Evidence for small-scale manufacturing included inconsistent packaging, several of which contained similar active ingredient profiles in different brands purchased from a single store. Evidence for large-scale production was also found with some brands having consistent active ingredient profiles across regions. This study provides preliminary data for the geographic variability of active ingredients in Spice as an indicator of mechanisms of manufacture and distribution to inform legislators and law enforcement and help prioritizing resource allocation in an effort to quell Spice use in Alaska.

The synthetic cannabinoids phenomenon: from structure to toxicological properties. A review

“…Since then, their place in the market has steadily increased, with more than 560 synthetic psychoactive substances identified worldwide on the illicit market (Lafaye et al 2017). Usually labeled as "not for human consumption" or "for aromatherapy use only" to circumvent legislation, SCs are commonly called 'synthetic marijuana' due to the fact they are produced with the goal of mimicking or enhancing the effects of D9-THC (Emery et al 2018).…”

“…Given the prevalence of consumption there is an urgent need to better understand the pharmacology and toxicology of SCs. In particular, the role of intrinsic efficacy in abuserelated effects and adverse effects should be targeted in future studies (Emery et al 2018). Very limited information is available on the safety of SCs in humans, and the occurrence of serious health damage in their abusers is highly probable.…”

Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Uses, Adverse Drug Events, and Drug Interactions

“…Most US states and other countries have used various administrative actions, prosecution strategies, and regulations to criminalize sales, ban individual substances, or place outright bans on synthetic cannabinoids 60 . Still, these products persist, and both high‐ and low‐quality products are found and sold in various retail environments or on the street market 61 …”

Man vs. man-made marijuana: A case of drug-induced posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) due to K2, a synthetic cannabinoid (SCB)

“…The major engineered compound in SCB mimics the active constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol (THC), of marijuana that binds to the G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors (CB), cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) [2,7,8]. SCB can contain multiple active ingredients and little is known about the metabolism of those compounds [8,9]. Nonetheless, multiple studies have revealed more toxicity associated with SCB compared to marijuana due to the higher potency of the synthetic ingredients [2,8,10,11].…”