Title:The Synthetic Cannabinoids Phenomenon
Volume: 22
Issue: 42
Author(s): Laurent Karila, Amine Benyamina, Lisa Blecha, Olivier Cottencin and Joël Billieux
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Synthetic cannabinoids, spice, new psychoactive substances, substance use disorder, adverse effects, fatalities.
Abstract: « Spice » is generally used to describe the diverse types of herbal blends that
encompass synthetic cannabinoids on the market. The emergence of smokable herbal products
containing synthetic cannabinoids, which mimic the effects of cannabis, appears to
become increasingly popular, in the new psychoactive substances landscape. In 2014, the
existence of 134 different types of synthetic cannabinoids were reported by the European
Union Early Warning System. These drugs are mainly sold online as an alternative to controlled
and regulated psychoactive substances. They appear to have a life cycle of about 1-2
years before being replaced by a next wave of products. Legislation controlling these designer
drugs has been introduced in many countries with the objective to limit the spread of
existing drugs and control potential new analogs. The majority of the synthetic cannabinoids
are full agonists at the CB1 receptor and do not contain tobacco or cannabis. They are becoming
increasingly popular in adolescents, students and clubbers as an abused substance.
Relatively high incidence of adverse effects associated with synthetic cannabinoids use has been documented in
the literature. Numerous fatalities linked with their use and abuse have been reported. In this paper, we will review
the available data regarding the use and effects of synthetic cannabinoids in humans in order to highlight
their impact on public health. To reach this objective, a literature search was performed on two representative
databases (Pubmed, Google Scholar), the Erowid Center website (a US non-profit educational organization that
provides information about psychoactive plants and chemicals), and various governmental websites. The terms
used for the database search were: “synthetic cannabinoids”, “spice”, “new psychoactive substances”, and/or
“substance use disorder”, and/or “adverse effects”, and/or “fatalities”. The search was limited to years 2005 to
2016 due to emerging scientific literature at this period Health professionals should take into account that limited
scientific evidence is available regarding the effect of synthetic cannabinoids use in humans. It thus urges to
launch more systematic epidemiological studies, to develop and validate screening procedures, and to investigate
the neurobiological and psychological correlates and risk factors associated to synthetic cannabinoids use and
misuse.