Abstract: There is an emerging use of what are popularly called designer drugs (Bauman et al., 2014). In the media, they are often called motedop or drugs; in the online stores, they are called highs or herbal highs while the medical community often refers to these as psychoactive or psychoactive substances, (NPS) (Tuv et al., 2016). Some of these are newly synthesized compounds, while others are chemical modifications of existing drugs and still others are old drugs that have been re-launched. Some of these are classified as piperazines, cathinones (e.g., mephedrone, methylone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, etc., popularly known as salts), phenethylamines, tryptamines, synthetic cannabinoids (popularly known as spice, fake pot, weed, or marijuana) and others (Bauman et al., 2014; Tuv et al., 2016; Weaver, Hopper, & Gunderson, 2015). Bath salts and spice are among the more frequently used designer drugs. Synthetic cannabinoids (spice) are the second most-abused illicit substance in the United States after marijuana (Lisi, 2014). Low recreational doses of bath salts or spice usually produce a feeling of being high, but doses or chronic use can lead to psychosis, violent behaviors, tachycardia, hyperthermia and even death (Bauman et al., 2014). The high experienced by these drugs varies from compound to compound and person-to-person and may include effects such as a stimulant, entactogenic, hallucinogenic, psychedelic or dissociative agent (Chavant, Boucher, Le Boisselier, Deheul, & Debruyne, 2015). The addictive potential of designer drugs is also substantial (Cottencin, Rolland, & Karila, 2014). One of the challenges confronting designer drugs is that new versions and variants of these drugs are coming up very fast. In 2010, the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) founded the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) as its case Registry (Wiegand, Wax, Smith, Hart, & Brent, 2013). In this Registry all cases are entered prospectively and include suspected and confirmed toxic contacts treated at the bedside by medical toxicologists at all participating sites. The chief advantage of this Registry is the development of a toxico-surveillance system that can define trends in poisoning. This Registry revealed that while cases of common designer drugs, namely synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones showed no fluctuations from 2011 to 2012 but several other designer amphetamines and novel psychoactive substances were reported in the Registry in 2012 (Wiegand, Wax, Smith, Hart, & Brent, 2013). A related challenge to the increase of newer agents pertains to lack of tests for detection of designer drugs in the blood or urine of the users. Since these are newer drugs, tests to detect them have yet been standardized. Furthermore, different analogs of designer drugs are constantly introduced to evade legislations and to enhance their pharmacological activity so that it becomes a big challenge for analytical toxicologists to develop tests to detect these (Concheiro, Castanet, Kronstrand, & Huestis, 2015). However, recent advancements in liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) are helping analytical toxicologists detect many of these compounds in urine (Concheiro, Castanet, Kronstrand, & Huestis, 2015). But definitely, there is need for more advancement in this regard. Another challenge confronting use of designer drugs is that the Internet is becoming a channel for marketing and distribution of these compounds (Tuv et al., 2016). Anyone, including children, can buy these products over the Internet. Sales of bath salts and spice over the Internet have skyrocketed in recent years. Designer drugs are frequently labeled not for human consumption to evade drug abuse legislations (Cottencin, Rolland, & Karila, 2014). However, the users know of their potential for misuse, and in the absence of legal risks, the ease of obtaining these compounds, the relatively moderate cost (the author conducted an Internet search and was able to get bath salts for $4 to $25), these become popular choices for recreational use. …
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
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