Designer Drugs Testing Solutions for Employers
Presented February 1, 2012
by Dr. Barry K. Logan, PhD, DABFT
NMS Labs National Director of Forensic Services
5. Marijuana Most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco. Main psychoactive component THC #1 Drug in the DRE program Some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly. Possession and use illegal under federal law, but states have variable policies on enforcement and prosecution. 6.8% of Friday and Saturday evening drivers test positive for use.
12. Marijuana/K2 Effects Red eyes / bloodshot Burning of the eyes Xerostomia (dry mouth) Tachycardia Changes in perception/mood Balance and Coordination Hallucinations Sedation Subjective thought disruption/loss of concentration Impaired sense of time Self assessed impairment Arrhythmias Seizures/Convulsions Panic Attacks Paranoia and Anxiety Sickness
The term designer drug came to prominence in the 1980’s when everything was designer – jeans, eyewear, shoes, purses, and it was applied to novel drugs that appeared around the same time. Originally included the ioids alpha me fentanyl or china white, MPPP (1-Methyl-4-phenyl-4-propionoxypiperidine) - meperidine analog, contained byproduct MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) which killed dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, causing parkinson like symptoms ( shaking , rigidity , slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait . Later, cognitive and behavioural problems may arise, with dementia ). MDMA appeared in the 1970’s and was well established in the rave culture in major cities by the late 1980’s. The 1980’s saw continued growth in popularity of MDMA and the appearance of occasional analogs, notably PMA which is almost exclusively serotonergic and an hallucinogen rather than a stimulant, but packaged indistinguishable from MDMA. Believed to have caused several deaths from serotonin syndrome. In the early 1990’s methamphetamine became more popular, repackaged as ice or crystal methamphetamine which adopted the designer drug mantle, but was no different from regular meth, however this contributed to growth in its popularity.
The term designer drug came to prominence in the 1980’s when everything was designer – jeans, eyewear, shoes, purses, and it was applied to novel drugs that appeared around the same time. Originally included the ioids alpha me fentanyl or china white, MPPP (1-Methyl-4-phenyl-4-propionoxypiperidine) - meperidine analog, contained byproduct MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) which killed dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, causing parkinson like symptoms ( shaking , rigidity , slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait . Later, cognitive and behavioural problems may arise, with dementia ). MDMA appeared in the 1970’s and was well established in the rave culture in major cities by the late 1980’s. The 1980’s saw continued growth in popularity of MDMA and the appearance of occasional analogs, notably PMA which is almost exclusively serotonergic and an hallucinogen rather than a stimulant, but packaged indistinguishable from MDMA. Believed to have caused several deaths from serotonin syndrome. In the early 1990’s methamphetamine became more popular, repackaged as ice or crystal methamphetamine which adopted the designer drug mantle, but was no different from regular meth, however this contributed to growth in its popularity.
In the absence of comprehensive testing methods or practices, or any central reporting, and a 2-3 years delay in the ICD-10 coding one source of data is from poison control centers. This is data from the most recent National Forensic Labortatories Information System report which cam eout this month showing the rise in synthetic cannabinoid related calls. Note the dip in Jan 2011 when the scheduling of JWH018 etc was announced, and the quick recovery.
By the mid to late 2000’s, with over 1bn people on the internet, specialty online retailers were selling both non-controlled psychoactive drugs and precursors for synthesis, Widespread audience, more difficult to find and control. Many of the initial compounds were taken from Shulgins book, especially the 2C series of psychedelic phenethylamines from Shulgin’s book PiHKAL, 2C-B, 2C-E, and 2CT7 but also a few tryptamines, AMT, DMT, and 5-MeODiPT (foxy methoxy). When a drug gained a sufficiently high prominence Federal Authorities have moved to place them in the Federal Schedule. Foxy, one of Shulgin’s received a lot of media attention in the early 2000’s and was added to schedule I in 2003, along with AMT. In 2004 Federal authorities executed operation web tryp, resulted in the arrests of 10 people. The DEA has followed a track of adding specific compounds to schedules
At the end of the decade however, there was an explosion of new chemicals and supply routes and an unmanageable international distribution network grew up which was very difficult to track or police. Nobody knew the identity or potential use for these compounds, they were not specifically scheduled, they were often buried in catalogs of legitimate research supplies, it was not clear what their pharmacology was as they had never been studied, all of which made them difficult to cover under analog statutes. More about scheduling later. The drugs shown here are the major categories currently in distribution, although new classes are already emerging. There is a patchwork of federal, state, and even municipal codes that schedule specific compounds usually based on regional patterns following a specific adverse event like a death or assault, making it difficult for law enforcement to police, and for labs to know what they should be testing for. Benzylpiperazines are stimulants, often mixed with TFMPP and m-CPP are currently legal in the US, although banned most other places. Synthetic cannabinoids are marijuana-like Beta keto amps are more MDMA-like with a mix of stimulant and hallucnogenic/entactogenic properties Phenethylamine derivatives are more pure serotonergic with more consciousness changing/ hallucinogenic effects MDPV primarily stimulant effects with mild entactogenic effects. Major attraction has been their legality. Also on the list would be tryptamines which are truly hallucinogenic and are rising in popularity and availability.
More anecdotal informtion comes from the press and the media, and attracts more attention, but many times lacks the testing data
The term designer drug came to prominence in the 1980’s when everything was designer – jeans, eyewear, shoes, purses, and it was applied to novel drugs that appeared around the same time. Originally included the ioids alpha me fentanyl or china white, MPPP (1-Methyl-4-phenyl-4-propionoxypiperidine) - meperidine analog, contained byproduct MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) which killed dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, causing parkinson like symptoms ( shaking , rigidity , slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait . Later, cognitive and behavioural problems may arise, with dementia ). MDMA appeared in the 1970’s and was well established in the rave culture in major cities by the late 1980’s. The 1980’s saw continued growth in popularity of MDMA and the appearance of occasional analogs, notably PMA which is almost exclusively serotonergic and an hallucinogen rather than a stimulant, but packaged indistinguishable from MDMA. Believed to have caused several deaths from serotonin syndrome. In the early 1990’s methamphetamine became more popular, repackaged as ice or crystal methamphetamine which adopted the designer drug mantle, but was no different from regular meth, however this contributed to growth in its popularity.