Phenomenon of new drugs on the Internet: the case of ketamine derivative methoxetamine
Ornella Corazza, Fabrizio Schifano, Pierluigi Simonato, Suzanne Fergus, Sulaf Assi, Jacqueline L. Stair, John Corkery, Giuseppina Trincas, Paolo Deluca, Zoe Davey, Ursula Blaszko, Zsolt Demetrovics, Jacek Moskalewicz, Aurora Enea, Giuditta di Melchiorre, Barbara Mervó, Lucia di Furia, Magı́ Farré, Liv Flesland, Manuela Pasinetti, Cinzia Pezzolesi, Agnieszka Pisarska, Harry L. Shapiro, Holger Siemann, Arvid Skutle, Elias Sferrazza, Marta Torrens, Peer van der Kreeft, Daniela Zummo, Norbert Scherbaum
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental March 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1002/hup.1242 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Phenomenon The internet Scientific literature Recreation Intervention counseling Dissociative Drug Action physics Internet privacy World wide web Epistemology Law |
| Citations | 157 |
| Key findings | The online availability of information on novel psychoactive drugs such as methoxetamine constitutes a pressing public health challenge. |
Abstract
On the basis of the material available both in the scientific literature and on the web, this paper aims to provide a pharmacological, chemical and behavioural overview of the novel compound methoxetamine. This is a dissociative drug related to ketamine, with a much longer duration of action and intensity of effects. A critical discussion of the availability of information on the web of methoxetamine as a new recreational trend is here provided. Those methodological limitations, which are intrinsically associated with the analysis of online, non-peer reviewed, material, are here discussed as well. It is concluded that the online availability of information on novel psychoactive drugs, such as methoxethanine, may constitute a pressing public health challenge. Better international collaboration levels and novel forms of intervention are necessary to tackle this fast-growing phenomenon.