Novel Drugs of Abuse: A Snapshot of an Evolving Marketplace.
Adolescent psychiatry (Hilversum, Netherlands) April 1, 2013 Ryan Vandrey, Matthew W Johnson, Patrick S Johnson et al. 26 citations
Over the past decade, non-medical use of novel drugs—including synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and the hallucinogen Salvia divinorum—has proliferated worldwide, sold over the counter and online as legal highs or substitutes for traditional illicit drugs. These substances, often first synthesized in academic or pharmaceutical labs, are not detected in routine drug screens and lack substance-specific treatments for toxicity. The review describes their epidemiology, toxicologic and pharmacological properties, and characteristic signs of misuse, recommending that clinicians use a symptom-specific treatment approach for each case.