Drug Dependence and Cytotoxicity of Law-evading Drugs: Their Identities Explored from Basic Research.

Drug Dependence and Cytotoxicity of Law-evading Drugs: Their Identities Explored from Basic Research. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2016;136(1):65-72 Authors: Funada M Abstract   Cases of people experiencing disturbed consciousness or dyspnea, causing traffic accidents, or requiring ambulance transport to hospital due to abuse of law-evading chemical substances have become a serious social problem in Japan. Most law-evading herbal products are marketed as incense or herbs and consist of finely chopped, dry vegetative matter mixed with chemical substances (drugs). Analysis of the chemical substances in these herbal products has demonstrated that they contain synthetic cannabinoids. Because there are many cannabinoid compounds, even if a particular drug is regulated, similar compounds that differ only slightly in structure may be added in their place. Therefore a cat-and-mouse game exists between regulations on chemical substances and their propagation. This paper summarizes the pharmacological actions and dangers of chemical substances contained in law-evading herbal products by focusing on synthetic cannabinoids, as a group of chemical substances contained in these products. Furthermore, comprehensive designations of synthetic cannabinoids have been introduced as a new method of regulation that emphasizes the similarity of chemical structures; this paper also outlines the comprehensive designations. We established a psychic-depe...
Source: Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Yakugaku Zasshi Source Type: research