New psychoactive substances (NPS) prevalence over LSD in blotter seized in State of Santa Catarina, Brazil: A six-year retrospective study.
Bruna De Souza Boff, Jair Silveira Filho, Karina Nonemacher, Samilla Driessen Schroeder, Marcelo Dutra Arbo, Kéttulin Zomer Rezin
Forensic science international January 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.110002 via PubMed
Summary
Between 2011 and 2017, blotter papers seized in Santa Catarina, Brazil, increasingly contained a wide variety of new psychoactive substances (NPS) rather than LSD alone. In 2011, all blotters contained LSD; by 2014 only 0.1% did, and by 2017 LSD was found in 17.6% of blotters, while up to 25 different substances were detected. These included DOx, NBOMe, fentanyl, mescaline derivatives, triptamines, cathinones, and synthetic cannabinoids, sometimes mixed in a single blotter. The number of seizure events rose from 87 in 2011 to 301 in 2016 and 277 in 2017. The shift may reflect that many NPS were not illegal under Brazilian law when they first appeared.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Blotter papers seized in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, from 2011 to 2017 |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Chemical profile Paper blotters |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key finding | The chemical profile of blotters shifted from exclusively LSD in 2011 to a diverse array of new psychoactive substances by 2017, with LSD present in only 17.6% of blotters that year. |
Abstract
Designer drugs or new psychoactive substances (NPS) are a heterogeneous group of substances obtained through the modification of chemical structure of some natural products or drugs. NPS illegally commercialized in blotter papers mimicking the most common form of LSD consumption, with a great variability of colours and symbols, have largely increased worldwide, including in Brazil, becoming an important emerging public health issue. In this study, we have evaluated the presence and profile of NPS in blotters seized in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, over the period of 2011 to 2017. The state government criminal forensics staff has performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analyses in order to determine the chemical composition of the blotters. During the evaluated period, there was a considerable increase in the seizing of blotters events, from 87 in 2011, to 301 in 2016 and reaching 277 in 2017. There was also an increase in the number of blotters seized per event. Interestingly, while in 2011, 100% of blotters contained LSD, this number decreased to 0,1% in 2014, and achieved 17,6% in 2017, when up to 25 different substances were detected in blotters seized. Drugs such as DOx, NBOMe, fentanyl, mescaline derivatives, triptamines, cathinones, and synthetic cannabinoids were detected and became the major substances found in blotters. In some cases, more than one substance was found in the same blotter, characterizing a new mixture scenario. The presence of several new psychoactive substances in blotters is a reality in forensic toxicology. In Brazil, it might be related to the fact that most of these substances were not considered illegal by Brazilian legislation by the time they emerged.