The e-Psychonauts' 'Spiced' World; Assessment of the Synthetic Cannabinoids' Information Available Online.
Caroline Zangani, Fabrizio Schifano, Flavia Napoletano, Davide Arillotta, Liam Gilgar, Amira Guirguis, John Corkery, Orsola Gambini, Alessandro Vento
Current Neuropharmacology 2020 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x18666200302125146 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational web-crawling study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Online psychonaut forums and platforms discussing novel psychoactive substances |
| Keywords | Humans Internet Social media Social networking Illicit drugs Nps Synthetic cannabinoids New psychoactive substances Web crawling Psychonauts |
| Key findings | The NPS.Finder web crawler identified approximately 1,103 synthetic cannabinoids, including 863 molecules absent from international and European NPS databases. The authors argue that these largely unknown compounds likely have misuse potential and pose public health concerns because of limited toxicodynamic, docking, preclinical, and clinical data. |
Abstract
Background: A wide range of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is regularly searched and discussed online by web-based drug enthusiasts (i.e. the e-psychonauts). Among NPS, the range of synthetic cannabinoids (SC; 'Spice') currently represents a challenge for governments and clinicians.
Methods: Using a web crawler (i.e. the NPS.Finder®), the present study aimed at assessing psychonauts' fora/platforms to better understand the online mentions of SC.
Results: The open-web crawling/navigating software identified here some 1,103 synthetic cannabinoids. Of these, 863 molecules were not listed in either the international or the European NPS databases.
Conclusion: A web crawling approach helped here in identifying a large range of unknown SC likely to possess a misuse potential. Most of these novel/emerging molecules are still relatively unknown. This is a reason for concern; each of these analogues potentially presents different toxicodynamic profiles and there is a lack of docking, preclinical, and clinical observations. Strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and bioinformatics may prove useful in better assessing SC-associated public health risks.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- New psychoactive substances (NPS) and serotonin syndrome onset: A systematic review. Experimental Neurology May 1, 2021
- Identifying New/Emerging Psychoactive Substances at the Time of COVID-19; A Web-Based Approach Frontiers in Psychiatry February 9, 2021
- Psychonauts’ psychedelics: A systematic, multilingual, web-crawling exercise European Neuropsychopharmacology April 13, 2021
- Cannabidiol-Derived Cannabinoids: The Unregulated Designer Drug Market Following the 2018 Farm Bill Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids February 13, 2024
- Snake venom - An unconventional recreational substance for psychonauts in India. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine October 1, 2022
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and 2 more in the library