Synthetic Drug, More Powerful Than Cannabis, Sold as Incense in Britain

A synthetic drug, considered five times as powerful as cannabis, is sold as incense in Britain.The UK drugs regulators are investigating.

It is based on the chemical JWH018 which mimics the effects of tetra hydra cannabinol or THC, the main active ingredient of cannabis.

Cannabis
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal, recreational, and industrial use and comes from a bushy plant with thick sticky flowers called Cannabis Sativa

JWH018, was first synthesised in a US lab in 1995. It was originally developed for scientific experiments on chemical receptors in the brain.

However, it is now being manufactured in China, and is being sold at UK events like rock festivals as part of the growing "legal high" industry.

The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is believed to have identified JWH018 in products available in the UK. It is currently in order to determine whether or not it should be classified as a medicinal product - which would mean it should only be available from a doctor.

Drug Abuse Screening Test
Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) is a screening test to find out if you need professional help with ‘Drug Abuse’ problem. This is only an anonymous self test.

The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which advises the government on whether a drug should be made illegal, is also aware of the substance, and is investigating it. In addition to being illegal in Germany, it has been banned in the Netherlands and its legality is under review in Austria.

But scientists do not know what side effects the drug could have, as no tests have been done on its toxicity either in the lab or on animals.

Will Cannabis Scandal Have Any Impact On Phelps' Endorsement Career?
Olympic golden boy Michael Phelps' endorsement career is likely to take a downturn following photos showing him smoking marijuana out of a bong at a party, say market experts.

Toxicologist Dr John Ramsey, who runs the Tic Tac Communications drugs database at St George's Medical School in London, said: "It's not a problem at the moment, in that we're not aware of casualties appearing in A&E, but there's an underlying potential for a problem."

He added that there were between 20 and 30 other similar substances that could be added to the incense mixtures, BBC reported.

Source-Medindia
GPL