Overview of Synthetic Cannabinoids ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA: Clinical, Analytical, and Forensic Implications.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) February 25, 2021 Carolina Lobato-Freitas, Andreia Machado Brito-Da-Costa, Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira et al.
ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA are synthetic cannabinoids up to 140 and 85 times more potent than THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. First synthesized in 2009, ADB-FUBINACA appeared recreationally in Japan in 2013, with fatal cases by 2015; AMB-FUBINACA emerged in 2014 and has caused multiple intoxication and death outbreaks. When smoked, effects begin within 10 to 15 seconds and last up to 60 minutes. Both act as full agonists at the CB1 receptor, producing cardiovascular and neurological effects such as altered perception, agitation, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, chest pain, hypertension, tachycardia, and seizures. The review calls for more research on their toxicokinetics to improve detection and treatment.