Current Drug
Trends
Maxim W. Furek, MA, CADC, ICADC
Garden Walk Recovery
(570) 542 – 7946
www.gardenwalkrecovery.com
Bath salts
• Mephedrone
• 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
• Methylone
• Circa 2011
Bath salts
• 500 mg = $34.99
• Ingested orally
• Snorted
• Injected
• Smoked
Bath salts: sold as
o Toy cleaner
o Plant food
o Herbal incense
o Research chemicals
o Pond sand
o Pond scum cleaner
o Stain remover
Bath salts: marketed as
Tranquility
Ivory Wave
Red Dove
Cloud-9
Hurricane Charlie
Purple Wave
Ocean Burst
Vanilla Sky
Scarface
White Lightning
Bath salts
• Synthetic designer drugs
• Slightly altered molecular structure of
known starter or parent drug
• Mimics characteristics of other illegal
drugs
• Sometimes called “fake cocaine”
• “Substituted cathinone”
Bath salts
• 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone
(MDPV)structurally related to Schedule l
hallucinogens MDMA and MDEA
• 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone
(MDPV)structurally related to Schedule l
stimulants cathinone and methcathinone
Psychological dangers
Physical dangers
Legislation
• Lackawanna County bans the drug on
April 13, 2011
• Luzerne County President Judge Thomas
F. Burke Jr. did the same April 25, 2011
• On June 15, 2011 50-member PA Senate
voted unanimously to outlaw bath salts,
synthetic marijuana and Salvia divinorum.
Legislation
• DEA exercised its emergency scheduling
authority to control three synthetic
stimulants (Mephedrone, 3,4
methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and
Methylone) used to make products
marketed as “bath salts” and “plant food.”
• October 21, 2011.
Legislation
• Synthetic Drug Control Act
• December, 2011 - U.S. House of
Representatives banned more than 30
synthetic drugs, including spice and bath
salts.
• Gives DEA more authority to put
temporary bans on potentially hazardous
drugs being investigated.
Cloud Nine
• U.S. Sen. Bob Casey wants to close
loopholes that allow makers of designer
drugs to slightly alter their drugs and avoid
federal and state bans.
• Cloud Nine: variant of insect repellant
similar to bath salts
• (January, 2012)
Update
• Jewelry Cleaner AKA Cosmic Blast
• Synthetic cocaine
• Contains Naphyrone ( MRG-1 or Energy 1)
• Stimulant drug similar to mephedrone
• Increased body temperatures
• Not usually picked up on standard tests
Synthetic Cannabis
• K2
• Spice
• Ocean Blue
• “herbal incense”
Synthetic Cannabis
• Created by Clemson University scientist
John W. Huffman for research purposes in
1990s
• JWH-018
• JWH-073
• JWH-200
• CP-47,497
Synthetic Cannabis
• “Not for human consumption”
• Aromatherapy
• “Mood enhancing”
• “Long lasting”
• “Legal high”
Physical symptoms
• Myocardial infarction
• Elevated blood pressure
• Seizures
• Increased agitation
• Profuse sweating
• Pale skin or vomiting
Psychological symptoms
• Extreme agitation
• Lost sense of reality
• Anxiety
• Babbling
incoherently
• Delusions
• Hyper-excited
• Dysphoria
• Behavior akin to
schizophrenia
• Fluctuating
symptoms
Self-reported symptoms
“long-lasting” high
“seeing things”
“hearing voices”
“extreme paranoia”
Legislation
November, 2010 - DEA announced its
"emergency scheduling authority" to
temporarily control the K2 chemicals.
March 1, 2011 - Five chemicals most
commonly found in "Spice" and "K2” classified
as Schedule I controlled substances, a
category reserved for unsafe, highly abused
substances with no medical usage.
Legislation
• June 15, 2011 - 50-member Pennsylvania
Senate voted unanimously to outlaw bath
salts, synthetic marijuana and Salvia
divinorum.
Legislation
• Synthetic Drug Control Act
• December, 2011 - U.S. House of
Representatives banned more than 30
synthetic drugs, including spice and bath
salts.
• Gives DEA more authority to put temporary
bans on potentially hazardous drugs being
investigated.
Update (April 21, 2012)
• New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs has
banned all forms of synthetic drugs that mimic
marijuana's effects. Previously, five types of
synthetic marijuana had been banned in the state,
but New Jersey has banned all forms of the drug.
• Most states ban some form of the substance, as
does the federal government. The all-inclusive ban
is the latest attempt by New Jersey to crack down
on drug crimes.
Synthetic Cannabis
Leaves of Blue Lotus or Bay Bean coated with
chemicals
Signs of Use
• K2/Spice is typically smoked
• A strong clove smell
• Coffee grinder
• Pipes or screens
Prevalence of use
• One of every nine high school seniors
reported using synthetic marijuana within the
previous 12 months
• n=47,000
8th, 10th and 12th graders
• First time synthetic cannabis question was
asked
• Monitoring the Future. U of Michigan for the
National Institute of Drug Abuse 01/1/2012
Physical dangers
• Three 16-year-old boys experienced heart
attacks
• Healthy
• No signs of cardiovascular disease
• Had smoked K2 within the past few days
• UT Southwest Medical Center (11/9/2011)
Monitoring the Future Prevalence of use
(2012)
1.4%
2.9%
3.2%
11.4%
Prevalence of use
• Increasing abuse in U.S. military
• 28 sailors assigned to USS Ronald Reagan
dismissed (2011)
• 64 sailors accused of involvement in a Spice
ring (2011)
• Air Force punished 497 airmen in 2011
compared to 380 in 2010
Prevalence of use
• Navy investigators compare Spice with angel
dust (PCP)
• No two batches are the same
• Some experience a euphoric buzz – others
have suffered delusions lasting up to a week
Salvia divinorum
o Salvia
o Diviner’s Sage
o Sage of the Seers
Salvia divinorum
• Salvia divinorum is an extraordinary herb
used in shamanism, divination, healing,
meditation, and the exploration of
consciousness.
• It should always be used in a thoughtful,
intelligent manner, and only by responsible
adults that are of sound mind and clear
intent.
Salvia divinorum
• "The purpose of these sacraments is to
purify, and to open the road. When it opens,
it's as clear as the blue sky, and the stars at
night are as bright as suns.”
Aurelia Aurora Catarino
Mazatec shaman
Salvia divinorum
• Used for centuries in
healing ceremonies
by Mazatec Indians
of Oaxaca
[Pronounced wah-haa-ca]
Salvia divinorum
• December, 2010
• Miley Cyrus
• 18th birthday
• Internet - TMZ & YouTube sensation
Salvinorin A
• Psychoactive
constituent
• Potent k-opioid receptor
agonist.
• Salvia divinorum is
generally understood to
be of low toxicity and
low addictive potential.
Salvinorin A
• Roth discovered that Salvinorin A targeted a
single brain receptor – the kappa opioid
receptor –
making salvia the strongest hallucinogen
“gram for gram” found in nature (2002).
Salvinorin A
• Could possibly be used to treat brain
disorders including depression,
schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s.
Medical Applications ?
Heroin
Marijuana
LSD
Psilocybin
Mescaline
Salvinorin A
• A structurally novel κ-opioid receptor
agonist.
• Hallucinogenic
• More specifically deliriant and dissociative.
Dissociatives
• A class of hallucinogen which reduce or
block signals to the conscious mind from
other parts of the brain.
• Are unique
• Produce hallucinogenic effects, which may
include sensory deprivation, dissociation,
hallucinations, and dream-like states or
trances.
Salvinorin A
• Effects are sought after, even though the
experience is often considered dysphoric by
the user.
• While salvinorin A is considered a
hallucinogen, it is not a psychedelic.
• Effects are qualitatively different than those
produced by psychedelic hallucinogens such
as LSD or mescaline.
Salvia divinorum
• Illegal in some states
• Short-acting psychedelic
• Strong dissociative
effects
• Chewed, smoked or
consumed as a tincture
Salvia divinorum
• Increased feeling of
insight
• Improved mood
• Sense of calmness
• Increased sense of
connection with nature
Salvia divinorum
• Used as treatment for
anemia, headache,
rheumatism, depression,
colds, sore throat,
constipation, diarrhea
• *Potential as an
analgesic
• *Therapeutic tool for
treating drug addictions
Salvia divinorum
• Not generally known to
be toxic or addictive
• NO fatal overdose
reported
Salvia divinorum
• Carcinogens associated
with smoking
• Possible negative
interventions with other
drugs or medications
• Possible dysphoria
Legislation
o In U.S. not regulated under the DEA Controlled
Substances Act
o Illegal in DE, OH, NJ, NY, PA.
o On June 15, 2011 50-member PA Senate voted
unanimously to outlaw bath salts, synthetic
marijuana and Salvia divinorum.
Legislation
o Joe Baca (D-California) proposed HR 5607 for
amendment of the Controlled Substances Act to
place Salvinorin A and Salvia divinorum in federal
Schedule I (2002).
Legislation
o Daniel Siebert sent letter to Congress arguing
against proposed legislation.
o Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics (CCLE)
sends key members of US Congress report on
Salvia divinorum and its active principle.
o Also, letters from array of scientists concerned that
scheduling Salvia would negatively impact
important research.
o HR 5607 did not pass.
Afterthought
o Certain experiences on drugs may be
so unfriendly and uncomforting that the
user may never want to try the
substance again. This is especially true
of the deliriants (e.g. Jimson weed) and
powerful dissociatives (e.g. Salvia
divinorum)