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Designer Drugs on the Internet: A Phenomenon Out-of-Control? The Emergence of Hallucinogenic Drug Bromo-Dragonfly

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Based on the material available in both the scientific literature and on the web, the present paper provides an updated pharmacological, chemical, toxicological and behavioural overview of Bromo-Dragonfly (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane; 'B-fly'). B-Fly is a powerful, long lasting, LSD-like, hallucinogenic drug, which has been associated with a number of acute intoxications and fatalities in a number of countries. A critical discussion of the potential of misuse of B-fly but also of the methodological limitations, which are intrinsically associated with the analysis of online, non-peer reviewed, material, is presented. It is concluded that the availability of online information on novel psychoactive drugs, such as B-fly, may constitute a public health challenge. Better international collaboration levels may be needed to tackle this novel and fast growing phenomenon.
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Current Clinical Pharmacology, 2011, 6, 125-129 125
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Designer Drugs on the Internet: A Phenomenon Out-of-Control? The
Emergence of Hallucinogenic Drug Bromo-Dragonfly
Ornella Corazza1,2,*, Fabrizio Schifano1, Magi Farre3, Paolo Deluca2, Zoe Davey2, Colin Drummond2,
Marta Torrens3, Zsolt Demetrovics4, Lucia Di Furia5, Liv Flesland6, Barbara Mervó4, Jacek Moskalewicz9,
Agnieszka Pisarska9, Harry Shapiro10, Holger Siemann7, Arvid Skutle6, Cinzia Pezzolesi1,
Peer Van Der Kreeft8 and Norbert Scherbaum7
1‘ReDNet’ Project; School of Pharmacy, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; 2National Addiction Centre, Institute
of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK; 3IMIM-Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain; 4National Institute for Drug
Prevention, Institute for Social Policy and Labour, Budapest, Hungary; 5Servizio Salute Regione Marche, Ancona, Italy;
6The Bergen Clinics Foundation, Bergen, Norway; 7Addiction Research Group at the Department of Psychiatry and
Psychotherapy, LVR-Klinikum Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 8De Sleutel, Gent, Belgium; 9Institute
of Psychiatry and Neurology (IPIN), Warsaw, Poland; 10DrugScope, London, United Kingdom
Abstract: Based on the material available in both the scientific literature and on the web, the present paper provides an
updated pharmacological, chemical, toxicological and behavioural overview of Bromo-Dragonfly (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-
b;4,5-b’]difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane; ‘B-fly’). B-Fly is a powerful, long lasting, LSD-like, hallucinogenic drug, which
has been associated with a number of acute intoxications and fatalities in a number of countries. A critical discussion of
the potential of misuse of B-fly but also of the methodological limitations, which are intrinsically associated with the
analysis of online, non-peer reviewed, material, is presented. It is concluded that the availability of online information on
novel psychoactive drugs, such as B-fly, may constitute a public health challenge. Better international collaboration levels
may be needed to tackle this novel and fast growing phenomenon.
Keywords: ABDF, Bromo-Dragonfly, FLY-compounds, internet monitoring, phenethylamines, designer drugs, ReDNet
project, research chemicals.
INTRODUCTION
A new generation of psychoactive drugs related to the
phenethylamines’ group, known as the ‘FLY’ drugs,
emerged in the last few years as a new recreational drug
misuse trend. The most common FLY compounds are:
2C-B-FLY: 1-(8-Bromo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b;4,
5-b’]difuran-4-yl)-2-aminoethane hydrochloride
3C-B-FLY: 1-(8-bromo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-
b’]difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride
Bromo-Dragonfly: 1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b’]difuran-4-
yl)-2-aminopropane
They are called ‘FLY’ because their molecular structure
resembles the insect: the body of the fly will be the benzene
ring; the two wings are the furan or dihydrofuran rings; the
head is the bromine atom and the tail is the isopropylamine
[1]. Fig. (1).
In particular, Bromo-Dragonfly was first synthesized by
Matthew A. Parker at Purdue University in 1998 and used as
a novel brain research chemical with rats [2-5]. Although
*Address correspondence to this author at the Recreational Drugs European
Network, University of Hertfordshire, School of Pharmacy, College Lane
Campus, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, UK; Tel: +44 (0)1707-289431;
Fax: +44 (0)1707-284506; E-mail: o.corazza@herts.ac.uk
structurally and chemically it is related to phenethylamines,
the phenyl ring of this molecule is bound between two dihy-
drofuran rings, giving it more potency and much longer du-
ration of action than most other phenethylamines [6]. Its ef-
fects can last up to 1-3 days [1]. A procedure based on liquid
chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has been de-
scribed to identify a number of phenethylamines [7], includ-
ing some of the ‘FLY’ drugs such as 2C-B-Fly, in the urines
of consumers using 3,4 methylendioxypropylamphetamine
(MDPA) as internal standard. Its mechanism of action is
mediated primarily by agonist activity at the serotonin 5-
HT2A receptors as well as to some degree at 5-HT1 receptor
[2, 8]. It has been speculated that the in teraction with both
these receptors is likely to be responsible for the hallucino-
genic effects [9-11]. Apart from 5-HT2A receptors, there is
evidence from both biochemical [12] and behavioural [13,
14] studies that the 5-TH2C receptors’ subgroups, in both
rodents and humans, are involved as well in the pharma-
codynamics of B-Fly [13-16].
It has been observed that the synthesis of this substance
is complicated by the fact that the molecule can form tw o
distinct chiral or optical isomers and that originally 5 other
related synthetic molecules are also called FLY [17]. Al-
though Bromo-Dragonfly is a research chemical and as such
not for human consumption, in recent years it has been in-
creasingly abused recreationally. Anecdotal evidence of this
epidemic of misuse has emerged from an increased number
126 Current Clinical Pharmacology, 2011, Vol. 6, No. 2 Corazza et al.
of fatalities and hospitalizations [18, 19], but also from the
Internet. Indeed, hundreds of websites advertise the drug for
sale and an increasing number of discussions and videos
related to the substance are posted online on a regular basis
[10-23]. B-Fly is currently not legislated for under the UK
Misuse of Drugs Act and is legally available in the UK, US
and in most of Europe. Conversely, it is a controlled sub-
stance in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Romania.
Fig. (1). 1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b’]difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane
hydrochloride (Bromo-Dragonfly).
We aimed at providing here a comprehensive overview
of both the peer reviewed and the anecdotal online data on
Bromo-Dragonfly.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The literature on Bromo-Dragonfly was searched in three
databases, PsychInfo, Pubmed and MedScape. Key words
used to carry out the database searches included: ‘1-(8-
bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b’]difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropanehydro-
chloride’, ‘Bromo-Dragonfly, ‘B-fly’ and ‘ABDF’. Consid-
ering the limitation of peer reviewed, scientific, data results
were integrated with a multilingual qualitative assessment of
a range of websites, drug-forums and other online resources
(e-newsgroups, chatrooms, mailing lists, e-newsletters, and
bulletin boards). This was carried out using the Google
search engine in 7 languages from a number of collaborating
countries (UK, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Italy
and Spain; see http://www.psychonautproject.eu). The online
assessment was carried out over the period of one year (Feb-
ruary 2009 - 2010) and involved the close monitoring of 203
websites. Of these, 108 were considered to be relevant for
the present exercise and as such were monitored on a regular
basis i.e., daily (n= 21), weekly (n= 32), or monthly (n= 53),
depending on their relevance. The remaining 95 websites
were considered not to bear any interest for the present study
and thus were no longer monitored. Once the Bromo-
Dragonfly was identified on these websites, further specific
searches were carried for narratives focusing on the follow-
ing issues: (a) the nature of its effects on users, including
adverse reactions; (b) motivations behind its recreational use
and possible trends of misuse, with particular attention to
polydrug misuse/idiosyncratic combinations; (c) any other
relevant information in the original language of the narra-
tives. The full content of posts/sites of particular interest
were also saved and copied onto a dedicated server using a
specific programme [24]. This was carried out primarily for
historical archiving and for allowing a more thorough and
flexible content search using both MacOSX10.6 server built-
in search capabilities [25] as well as a third-party search ap-
plication [26]. Data collected were stored in a password-
protected online database located within the coordinating
centre (St. George’s, University of London, UK) and a tech-
nical folder with all the available information on the effects
of the drug, including various toxicological data, was also
created. For the purpose of reporting results in this paper,
any data collected from online forums, such as usernames
and complete URLs for specific threads that were considered
personal identifiable, were anonymised. The study was
cleared for ethical approval by the Wandsworth Local
Research Ethics Committee, London, UK.
RESULTS
Information on B-Fly Online Availability, Consumption
and Manufacture
Although the first reported case of recreational B-Fly
abuse can allegedly be traced back to 2001 [23] but, accord-
ing to Google Insights for Search [27], the web search activ-
ity associated with the substance has started to gradually
increase only in 2005. Bromo-Dragonfly was then formally
identified in 2008 as a new emerging trend of drug abuse
during the web monitoring activities of the Psychonaut Web
Mapping Project following warnings from a number of EU
countries, including Italy, Norway, Belgium, and Finland.
‘B-Fly’ is typically sold online as blotter papers, liquid
and less commonly as pills. According to most online re-
ports, its primary route of administration is oral. After inges-
tion, the onset of its effects can be delayed for up to 6 hours.
This delay has often led recreational users to ingest another
dose of the substance thinking that the first dose was inade-
quate [28]. Alternatively, additional drugs may be ingested
while waiting for the psychoactive effects to appear [20-22,
27, 28]. Although the exact dosage is still unknown, a
‘typical’ dose is reported by users to be in the region of
200 to 800 g [20]. There are two, or possibly more, types of
B-Fly available on the Internet. The first one, called the
‘European Batch’ (active at dose of 200 to 500 g) and
a less potent one, called the ‘American Batch’ (active at
800 to 1800 g) [17]. The average price for 1 gr of Bromo-
Dragonfly is about 300 euros/420USD, while a single dose
(blotter paper) is around 10-30 euros/14-42USD. Other items
such as blotters sheets with various artworks are also widely
available online [29].
Effects and Adverse Reactions
Some users describe the effects of Bromo-Dragonfly as
‘a ride to the moon’ because they ‘last too long and leave
you drained’ [20]. Accounts of experiences lasting 2-3 days
after the consumption of a single dose (blotter paper) seem to
be fairly common [20, 21]. Some users report however that
B-Fly is ‘definitely not for everyone, just too powerful’ [21,
22]. The drug can allegedly induce profound hallucinations
(mainly visual distortions, such as geometric patterns and
lights), sound alterations, but also other effects such as the
sense of connection/belonging with other realities, sense of
peace and well-being, emotional stimulation and meeting
with entities, which are also common features of the so-
called near-death experience [30].
The level of toxicity associated to Bromo-Dragonfly may
well be a reason of concern, as recently revealed by a series
of hospitalizations and fatalities. For instance, a case of
death was recorded in 2008 in a Swedish hospital, where the
patient had convulsions, respiratory problems, liver and kid-
Designer Drugs on the Internet Current Clinical Pharmacology, 2011, Vol. 6, No. 2 127
ney failure and lost several fingers and toes. This incident
was associated with the oral assumption of an allegedly very
large amount of B-Fly [18, 31]. Another fatality was re-
corded in Denmark after the ingestion of around 1 ml of
‘LSD-like liquid’, later identified as Bromo-Dragonfly [32].
The autopsy findings included oedema of the lungs, slight
oedema of the brain, enlargement of the spleen, irritation of
the mucous membrane in the stomach and ischaemic changes
in the kidney [32]. Further fatalities have been recorded in
Finland, Denmark, the UK, Norway and the US [18, 19].
Common adverse reactions may include: nausea and vomit-
ing, headache, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, lung
collapse, gastrointestinal disturbances, muscle tension,
tremor, body temperature fluctuations, anxiety, panic attacks,
arrhythmias, heart murmurs, slight pupil dilation, convul-
sions, stomach tightness, hallucinations, flashbacks, memory
disturbances, confusion, and paranoid ideation [19, 33].
Motivations for B-Fly Intake and Polydrug Misuse Issues
Most users may approach Bromo-Dragonfly due to its
‘psychedelic’ properties, which seem to be similar, but of
longer duration, to those of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
[20, 28, 34]. Other observations are however consistent with
the misuser need of enhancing his/her physical sensations
(e.g. taste, touch, hearing) and/or to prolong the sexual ex-
citement/pleasure [18]. Other reasons for taking B-Fly have
been outlined in Table 1.
Bromo-Dragonfly is often used in combination with
a variety of other drugs, generally to enhance or prolong
the duration of action of their effects. These polydrug
misuse experimentations have led to a range of cases of
acute intoxication; particularly worrying seems to be the
combination of B-Fly with ketamine, with severe agitation,
hallucinations and tonic-clonic seizures having been reported
[19, 35, 36].
DISCUSSION
The present work provided a review of the current state
of knowledge of Bromo-Dragonfly in the peer reviewed lit-
erature. To the best of our knowledge, it also provided for
the first time a critical analysis of the information from and
for web surfers/users relating to B-Fly psychoactive effects,
adverse reactions and use in combination with other drugs. It
seems from here that reasons behind Bromo-Dragonfly in-
crease in popularity include: its powerful a long lasting,
LSD-like, hallucinogenic effects; its favourable legal status;
and its affordability. Indeed, B-Fly is at times promoted with
special offers. Online popularity of B-Fly may have increased
as a result of technical facilities such as: ‘alerts’ about novel
psychoactive products via text messages and/or instant mes-
saging; and ‘e-mail this product to a friend’ [37, 38].
Young/vulnerable individuals might be encouraged by a
range of widely available online comments/messages/videos
relating to the B-Fly intake experiences. This may be an
issue of concern, if one considers that an estimated 61% of
young European people aged between 15-24 years typically
quote the Internet as a potential source of information on
illicit drugs [39]. Furthermore, it appeared from here
Table 1. Overview of the Alleged Reasons for Taking B-Fly
Reasons Description
Hallucinogenic/psychedelic
effects
‘I nearly died from taking a £ 5 hit’, claimed an 18-year old user, when he was promised a ‘mellow hit, similar to acid but
more enjoyable’ [36]. Effects of Bromo-Dragonfly can include visual distortions, such as geometric patterns and lights,
sense of belonging\connecting with other realities, and sense of unity with t he cosmos among many others [20, 22, 28].
Experimenting with a new
substance and/or with
novel combinations
B-Fly is reportedly often taken in combination with other compounds in order to try a different ‘high’ [22, 23, 28], such as:
Alcohol
Prescribing drugs: alprazolam
Illicit/recreational drugs: hashish/marijuana; cocaine; amphetamines; LSD; ketamine
‘Legal highs’, including: Salvia divinorum; and Kratom (Mytragina speciosa)
By mistake Large numbers of users have tried B-Fly thinking it was LSD, especially because both substances are available in the form
of blotter paper [20, 22].
In 2009 there have been reports of users taking B-Fly by mistake thinking it was ‘2CB-fly’ due to a mislabel batch sold
online [22, 36].
‘Thankful I am alive’, said one these messages posted by a 23-year-old man:
I was in a nearly catatonic state, unable and not wanting to move. Eyes closed the whole time. I couldn’t keep them open
(…). It was 23°C outside, yet I was freezing. I was under all of the covers in my bed, yet I began sweating immensely. I
couldn’t tell if I was awake or sleeping. Conscious or unconscious. It seemed I was somewhere in between the two. This
scared me a bit. (After 50 hours) I still don’t feel normal. I hope I do soon" [20].
Favourable legality status B-Fly remains a legal substance in a number of countries, although bans have recently been made in Denmark, Sweden,
Norway and Romania.
Online availability B-Fly is easy to purchase over the Internet, often at a discounted rate [20, 22, 29].
128 Current Clinical Pharmacology, 2011, Vol. 6, No. 2 Corazza et al.
that only a minority of drug selling websites were allegedly
limiting access to the relevant links to under age individuals.
At the time of writing, B-Fly remains legal in most of the
EU countries. This may be an intriguing issue, given its
chemical structure similarity with other, already controlled,
phenethylamines such as 4-bromo-2,5dimethoxyphenethyl-
amine (2C-B) and 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine
(DOB). The current legal status of B-Fly may arguably
facilitate the increasing levels of popularity of the drug, but
might affect as well the users’ perception of risks associated
with its consumption. In fact, the idea that legality can
equate with safety still remains well grounded amongst some
recreational users [37, 40, 41].
Most of the novel psychoactive compounds available
online, such as B-Fly, share a number of characteristics that
may constitute a public health challenge, including: (a) not
being approved for human consumption; (b) their intake pos-
sibly being associated with a number of unknown side ef-
fects/adverse reactions); (c) very few related pharmacologi-
cal/toxicological data being available in the peer reviewed,
scientific, literature, with the limited knowledge being
mostly restricted to pre-clinical studies; (d) rapidly appearing
in always more sophisticated forms and remaining unregu-
lated for a long period of time; (e) being most often synthe-
sized in underground laboratories simply modifying the
molecular structure of remaining controlled drugs (e.g.
amphetamines; tryptamines), hence raising further concerns
in terms of presence of contaminating agents; (f) being
largely available online and thus ‘just a click’ away from
our homes and potentially available to everyone; (h) being
increasingly accepted as part of a ‘trendy’ lifestyle, because
the internet may arguably act as an enabler for niche activi-
ties to develop into social norms.
A possible limitation of the present study could be given
by the fact that only publicly available websites, forums and
similar were monitored. Conversely, to improve the cover-
age of the study not only the web pages but also more private
ways of communication (including newsgroups, chatrooms,
mailing lists, newsletters, and bulletin boards) were here
considered. A further limitation may be given by the fact that
the present findings do rely mostly on what reported by
users. In particular, we did not have any possibility here to
understand if the substance the online B-Fly misusers were
taking was indeed B-Fly.
One could conclude that a constant level of web monitor-
ing activities with respect to drug-related issues is a neces-
sary step to better understand the level of the diffusion of
novel psychoactive substances, such as B-Fly. From this
point of view, better international collaboration levels may
be needed to tackle this novel and fast growing phenomenon.
Finally, it is suggested that the use of technological tools
could be successfully incorporated in specific prevention
programmes for novel compounds in the field of eHealth,
as currently piloted by the Recreational Drugs European
Network (ReDNet; http://www.rednetproject.eu) [41].
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This publication arises from the activities of two studies
Psychonaut Web Mapping project and the ReDNet Research
Project, which have received funding from the European
Union, in the framework of the Public Health Programme
(2006 348; 2009 12 16).
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Received: January 24, 2011 Revised: March 07, 2011 Accepted: April 13, 2011
... (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2aminopropane), has been dosed 200-800 μg with delay onset of effects up to 8 h and reported duration of 1-3 days (Corazza et al. 2011;Noble et al. 2018). ...
... Common adverse reactions may include tachycardia, hypertension, seizures, temperature fluctuations, muscle tension, arrhythmias, heart murmurs, and there have also been several international fatalities due to ischemia and end organ failure (Corazza et al. 2011;Iwersen-Bergmann et al. 2019). ...
Chapter
As psychedelics are being investigated for more medical indications, it has become important to characterize the adverse effects and pharmacological interactions with these medications. This chapter will summarize what is known about the toxicology and drug–drug interactions for classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, mescaline, 2C-B, Bromo-DragonFLY, and 25X-NBOMe.
... (1) substitution of the α-carbon by a methyl produces amphetamine derivatives (Figure 1) [290] and (2) substitution of the benzene cycle at positions 2 and 5 with methoxy groups and position 4 with a substituent on phenethylamine or amphetamine (Figure 1) [290][291][292]. Tetrahydrobenzodifuranyl and benzodifuranyl ("FLY") are analogs of these series [293]. NBOMe series, which consists of N-benzyl derivatives of the 2 C series (Figure 1) was recently made [294,295]. ...
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... All NPS belonging to the so-called 'f ly' series (the term is used to connote their molecular structure resembling an insect), and particularly 2C-B-Fly (8-bromo-2,3,6,7-benzo-dihydro-difuran-ethylamine), and 'Bromo-DragonFly'/'B-f ly' (1-[4-Bromofuro{2,3-f} {1}benzofuran-8-yl]propan-2-amine), have been described as powerful and long-lasting drugs, with effects lasting for up to three days. 'B-f ly' has been associated with a number of acute intoxications and fatalities in the EU (Baumeister, Tojo & Tracy, 2015;Corazza et al., 2011). The NBOMe compounds' market has recently increased in parallel with the declining availability of LSD. ...
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There are global concerns about the proliferation and misuse of club drugs and novel psychoactive substances, yet we know little about their harms and research on clinical management and treatment remains limited. This book fills the knowledge gap by providing a detailed overview of the research evidence available to date. The book provides a framework that allows readers to understand this large number of new drugs, using classifications based on primary psychoactive effect. Within this framework, the book provides detailed reviews of the more commonly used drugs. Each chapter explores pharmacology, patterns and mode of use, acute and chronic harms, and clinical interventions supported by research evidence. An invaluable resource for clinical staff, this book will support clinicians working in the emergency department, substance misuse and addiction services, mental health services, primary care, sexual health services and more. It will also be of interest to academics and those developing drug policy.
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There are global concerns about the proliferation and misuse of club drugs and novel psychoactive substances, yet we know little about their harms and research on clinical management and treatment remains limited. This book fills the knowledge gap by providing a detailed overview of the research evidence available to date. The book provides a framework that allows readers to understand this large number of new drugs, using classifications based on primary psychoactive effect. Within this framework, the book provides detailed reviews of the more commonly used drugs. Each chapter explores pharmacology, patterns and mode of use, acute and chronic harms, and clinical interventions supported by research evidence. An invaluable resource for clinical staff, this book will support clinicians working in the emergency department, substance misuse and addiction services, mental health services, primary care, sexual health services and more. It will also be of interest to academics and those developing drug policy.
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Naphyrone, also known as NRG-1, is a novel psychoactive substance (NPS), a cathinone with stimulatory properties available on the grey/illicit drug market for almost a decade. It is structurally related to infamously known powerful stimulants with the pyrovalerone structure, such as alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) that are labeled as a cheap replacement for cocaine and other stimulants. Despite the known addictive potential of α-PVP and MDPV, there are no studies directly evaluating naphyrone’s addictive potential e.g., in conditioned place preference (CPP) test or using self-administration. Therefore, our study was designed to evaluate the addictive potential in a CPP test in male Wistar rats and compare its effect to another powerful stimulant with a high addictive potential – methamphetamine. Naphyrone increased time spent in the drug-paired compartment with 5 and 20 mg/kg s.c. being significant and 10 mg/kg s.c. reaching the threshold (p = 0.07); the effect was comparable to that of methamphetamine 1.5 mg/kg s.c. The lowest dose, naphyrone 1 mg/kg s.c., had no effect on CPP. Interestingly, no dose response effect was detected. Based on these data, we are able to conclude that naphyrone has an addictive potential and may possess a significant risk to users.
Chapter
Availability and supply analysis of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is complicated by sheer substance variety, the introduction of ever-newer compounds, linguistic diversity, evolving usage patterns in various nationalities and communities, and a shifting regulatory and legal landscape. Classical data sources are often inadequate, due to either NPS omission, inherent delays in the conduct or publication of research, lack of established government initiatives, or inflexible data systems. With these difficulties in mind, this chapter explores NPS availability and supply through an overview of the market and its structure, including NPS origins, market entry, manufacturing and distribution, and supply chain concerns. Online, retail, and non-retail vending practices are highlighted, with an emphasis on technological advances that have lowered, if not eliminated, barriers to diffusion of NPS knowledge, properties, and price discovery. Branding and misbranding underscore the competitive and potentially hazardous NPS market dynamics, and ongoing market pressures anticipate its continuing evolution.
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Many countries have specific legislation, such as the Controlled Substances Act (1970) in the United States and the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) in the United Kingdom to control recreational drugs. There is a growing market and supply of "novel" recreational drugs, which include the misuse of pharmaceutical compounds and research chemicals. These are often not covered under current legislation, despite the fact that they often have both similar chemical structures and/or clinical effects to controlled recreational drugs. A male patient presented to an emergency department with delayed onset of severe agitation, hallucinations, and tonic-clonic seizures following the use of Bromo-dragonFLY and an unknown white powder. He settled following IV benzodiazepines and supportive care, and was discharged with no evidence of long-term sequelae. Analysis of the white powder by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry (UV/VIS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) showed the presence of Bromo-dragonFLY (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane); serum analysis by GC/MS and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) confirmed that a combination of Bromo-dragonFLY (0.95 ng/mL), ketamine (20 ng/mL) and cannabis had been used by the patient. No other recreational drugs were detected in an extensive toxicological screen of serum and urine samples. This is the first confirmed case to be reported of toxicity with delayed onset of severe agitation, hallucinations and tonic-clonic seizures associated with recreational use of Bromo-dragonFLY (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane) in combination with ketamine and cannabis. In our view, this case provides further support for the need for a systematic approach to toxicological screening of patients with recreational drug toxicity, to identify emerging drugs and provide evidence for legislative authorities to assist in revising the legal status of emerging recreational drugs.
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Based on electrophysiological, radioligand binding, and behavioral studies in laboratory animals, it is generally believed that the psychotomimetic effects of the phenethylamine and indolealkylamine hallucinogens are mediated by central serotonin (5-HT) receptors, in particular the 5-HT-2 subtype. Agonist-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis was utilized to determine the potency and efficacy of racemic 1-(2,5)-dimethoxy-4-methyl-phenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOM), and d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) at the 5-HT-2 receptor in rat cerebral cortex and the 5-HT-1c receptor in rat choroid plexus. Both DOM and LSD stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in cerebral cortex. These effects were blocked by the 5-HT-2 antagonists, ketanserin and spiperone, but not by antagonists of muscarinic, alpha-1 adrenergic or histaminergic receptors. The maximum responses of DOM and LSD, respectively, were 76% and 25% of the maximum response to 5-HT. However, LSD was 500 times more potent than was racemic DOM. Consistent with a partial agonist effect, LSD partially blocked the effect of 5-HT, with a maximal inhibition equivalent to the intrinsic activity of LSD alone. In choroid plexus, DOM and LSD stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and both responses were blocked by mianserin and less effectively by spiperone. The maximum effect of DOM was 67% of that of 5-HT, whereas the maximum effect of LSD was only 34% of the maximum response of 5-HT. LSD was 50 times more potent than was racemic DOM. LSD partially antagonized the effect of 5-HT in the choroid plexus, consistent with a partial agonist effect at the 5-HT-1c receptor in this tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)