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| Image Credit: Image from Lance Cpl. Damany S. Coleman |
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| This post was peer reviewed. Click to learn more. |
Author: Nishma Sachedina, MD
Emergency Medicine Resident
University of Chicago
AAEM/RSA Publications Committee Member
In the 1980s, scientists developed synthetic cannabinoids as a means to study the endocannabinoid system.[1,2] While some earnest chemists characterized cannabinoid receptors, more entrepreneurial chemists created a novel market of NEW drugs—nontraditional emerging web-based drugs.[3] Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are one varietal of these NEW drugs, and their use has been growing exponentially since they were first recognized as drugs of abuse in Europe in 2000.[4]
When SCs came to the USA in 2008, they flourished because of a lack of legislation against them and because they evaded standard medical toxicology screening tests.[1] Sold over the internet, in head shops, and in even in gas stations and convenient stores, SCs are often marketed as “legal highs.”[1] They can be consumed in a number of ways, from adding the compound to plant materials to dissolving the compounds in liquid for use in e-cigarettes or beverages.
