Special Report: Coming Soon to an ED Near You: Bromo-Dragonfly (Not an Insect), K2 (Not a Mountain), and Venus (Not the Planet)
Emergency Medicine News July 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1097/01.eem.0000383965.81184.10 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | The author argues that the drugs of abuse landscape has shifted from a stable set of long-known substances—opiates, cocaine, and PCP—that were well characterized in the medical literature, to a rapidly changing scene that makes it harder for clinicians to stay informed. Salvia divinorum is presented as an example of this newer challenge. |
Abstract
Salvia divinorumA quarter of a century ago, it was relatively easy to stay current on drugs of abuse. Things rarely changed. When I started practicing in 1985, the major drugs available on the street had been the same for many years: Opiates, cocaine, and phencyclidine (PCP) being the mainstays. These had all been around for decades if not centuries, and they had all been used in medical practice. Extensive scientific literature — clinical and experimental — described their kinetics and toxicologic effects. Now all that has changed.