Informaii sintetice despre coninutul etnobotanicelor 1.

About Synthetic Cannabinoids

The name Spice comes from the Frank Herbert Dune series of books. The chemicals are spread on random plant material and packaged sometimes as fragrant, mood affecting incense. (www.examiner.com/norml in philadelphia/facts abo!t new s"nthetic dr!gs k# or spice$ The terms Spice and %# refer to commerciall" a&ailable prod!cts that ha&e been spra"ed with research chemicals called synthetic cannabinoids b!t do not contain an" cannabis (mari'!ana$ components. S"nthetic cannabinoid prod!cts are man!fact!red in (sia and then sold in local markets thro!gho!t the ).S. incl!ding gas stations, li*!or stores, con&enient stores, smoke shops, or on the +nternet !nder the brand names ,%#,, ,Spice,, -hronic Spice, ,Spice .old,, ,Spice Sil&er,, ,Stinger,, ,/!catan Fire,, ,Sk!nk,, 0!lse, ,1lack 2amba,, 2"ster", ,3ed 4 5awn,, ,6ohai,, ,2r. 7ice .!",, Spic"licio!s, %8, %8 9egal, :arth*!ake, or ,.enie., What is a Synthetic Cannabinoid? ()pdated ;# 2ar <<$ S"nthetic cannabinoids are a str!ct!rall" di&erse class of mostl" s"nthetic s!bstances that bind to cannabinoid receptors in o!r bod", and when ingested create a similar t"pe of high that nat!rall" occ!rring cannabinoids (mari'!ana$ prod!ce. 2ore than <;; different s"nthetic cannabinoids ha&e been created (mostl" created in laboratories for research p!rposes$. +n a #;;= st!d", se&en of the herbal prod!cts on the market at that time were tested, and the researchers fo!nd the" contained different le&els of a s"nthetic cannabinoid created at -lemson )ni&ersit" called >?H ;<=, a s"nthetic cannabinoid created b" 0fi@er called -0 AB,ACB, or both. Historicall", the ps"choacti&e compo!nds fo!nd in Spice and %# incl!de the s"nthetic cannabinoids >?H ;<=, >?H ;B8, >?H #D; and/or -0 AB,ACB -=. Ether s"nthetic cannabinoids incl!de >?H ;<D, >?H ;<C, >?H ;=<, >?H #;;, >?H #D;, H) #<; and H) #<<. S"nthetic cannabinoids are !sed in an attempt to a&oid the laws that make mari'!ana illegal. ?hat man!fact!rers ha&e done to get aro!nd state laws (and sometimes national laws$ isF when a go&erning bod" makes one prod!ct illegal, the prod!cer will sell a similar prod!ct with another s!bstance, not "et illegal. Here is a partial listing of known s"nthetic cannabinoidsF

(2 G8;, (2 GBC, (2 GCA, (2 <##<, (2 <#A<, (2 ##;< -1 #D, -1 D# -0 AB,ACB, -0 AB,ACB -=, -0 DD,CA; H) #<;, H) #<<, H) 8;=, H) 88< >?H ;;B, >?H ;<=, >?H ;<C, >?H ;B8, >?H ;=<, >?H <##, >?H <88 (non ps"choacti&e$, >?H #;;, >?H #;<, >?H #;8, >?H #<;, >?H #D;, >?H #D<, >?H 8C= 3-S A, 3-S = ?+7 A=,;C=, ?+7 DD,#<# #, ?+7 DD,#<# 8 (2 prefaced compo!nds are fl!orinated and named for 7ortheastern )ni&ersit" professor (lexandros 2akri"annis. -0 compo!nds were de&eloped in the late <CB;s, earl" <C=;s b" 0fi@er. H) compo!nds are named after Hebrew )ni&ersit" where these compo!nds were first created and in&estigated. >?H prod!cts were named after >ohn ?. H!ffman from -lemson )ni&ersit". 3-S compo!nds appear to ha&e their origins of de&elopment in a single lab in mainland -hina. ?+7 compo!nds were de&eloped b" Sterling ?inthrop.

Ene report on the internet stated (when talking abo!t the 3-S class of sn"thetic cannabinoids$ that prohibition made the prod!ction of these cannabinoids a h!ge cash cow, and now a self s!staining independent ind!str".

2. About Khat plant drug and Mephedrone

There are man" (frican co!ntries in which the !se of khat is legal and common. %hat is an amphetamine like plant dr!g that is the nat!ral prec!rsor of the designer dr!g known as mephedrone. The ma'or khat !sing co!ntries in (frica are commonl" listed asF Somalia, %en"a, /emen, :thiopa, Tan@ania, 9esotho. %hat, as one online article p!t it, is the legal high of east (frica. The acti&e ingredients in khat cathine and cathinone are similar in str!ct!re to amphetamines, and chemicall" similar to the ingredients !sed in the man!fact!re of mephedrone powder. 2ephedrone is a so called designer dr!g. +tHs a man made deri&ati&e of the ps"chostim!lant cathinone, which comes from the khat plant. 2ephedrone is being disg!ised as bath salts or plant food for black market sales p!rposes. 2ephedrone is sold as A 22-, 2eow 2eow, 2 -at, and other nicknames. -athine and cathinone ramp !p dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline le&els in a manner &er" similar to amphetamine, with man" of the same positi&e effects (mild e!phoria, red!ced h!nger, increased energ"$ and the same negati&e effects (depression, fatig!e, lack of appetite, dr!g cra&ing$. +t is

tho!ght that chronic !se of khat res!lts in dopamine 5# depletion in areas of the brain in&ol&ed in goal directed action. (httpF//addiction dirkh.blogspot.com/#;<</;</khat to chase.html$ 2ephedrone, a ke" ingredient in the designer dr!g mix sold as ,bath salts, or as other s!bstances, ind!ces methamphetamine like cra&ings in rats. 1!t mephedrone isnHt exactl" like meth, cocaine, ecstas" (252($, or other new designer dr!gs, according to rat st!dies led b" pharmacologist (nnette :. Fleckenstein, 0h5, and colleag!es at the )ni&ersit" of )tah. +t has its own !ni*!e combination of effects and toxicitiesF 9ike meth b!t !nlike ecstas", rats *!ickl" de&elop a cra&ing for mephedrone and will keep pressing a le&er in order to get more. 9ike meth, mephedrone increases brain le&els of dopamine. 9ike ecstas", mephedrone increases brain le&els of serotonin. 9ike ecstas", repeat doses of mephedrone damages the brainHs abilit" to respond to serotonin (altho!gh h!man !sers of bath salts fre*!entl" binge, while ecstas" !sers !s!all" donHt$. 9ike both ecstas" and meth, mephedrone ca!ses the bod" to o&erheat. ,2ephedrone is a !ni*!e ps"chostim!lant of ab!se that shares pharmacological properties similar to, and "et distinct from, both meth and 252(. +ts abilit" to ca!se s!b'ecti&e effects resembling 252( contrib!tes to its ab!se. Howe&er, its abilit" to ca!se dopamine release greater than 252( ma" be partic!larl" problematic. 2ephedrone is sold as ,bath salts, or as other innoc!o!s prod!cts in an effort to sidestep dr!g laws. +n order to escape law enforcement scr!tin", prod!cts are labeled Hnot for h!man cons!mption,H b!t the" know f!ll well it is intended for that. +n addition to being called bath salts, mephedrone has also been sold as plant food, decorati&e sand, and e&en as to" cleaner. +t goes b" a &ariet" of brand names. Two &er" pop!lar ones are +&or" ?a&e and Ianilla Sk"J others incl!de 0!rple ?a&e, 3ed 5o&e, 1l!e Silk, 6oom, 1loom, -lo!d 7ine, Ecean Snow, 9!nar ?a&e, ?hite 9ightning, Scarface, and H!rricane -harlie. 2ephedrone has ne&er been appro&ed for h!man cons!mption hence the initial st!dies in rats nor are these illicit prod!cts made !nder the kind of good man!fact!ring practices necessar" for legal dr!gs, s!pplements, and foods. (httpF//www.webmd.com/mental health/news/#;<<;=<G/bath salts like !nlike meth ecstas"$