title: "Herbal incense": designer drug blends as cannabimimetics and their assessment by drug discrimination and other in vivo bioassays.
abstract: Recently, synthetic cannabinoids originally designed for testing in the laboratory only have found use recreationally in designer herbal blends, originally called "Spice". The myriad of compounds found are for the most part potent full agonists of the cannabinoid receptor 1, producing effects similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and marijuana. Drug discrimination of these compounds offers a specific behavioral test that can help determine whether these new synthetic compounds share a similar "subjective high" with the effects of marijuana/THC. By utilization of drug discrimination and other behavioral techniques, a better understanding of these new "designer" cannabinoids may be reached to assist in treating both the acute and chronic effects of these drugs. The paper provides a brief exposé of modern cannabinoid research as a backdrop to the recreational use of designer herbal blend cannabimimetics.
authors.affiliation: Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: t.jarbe@neu.edu.
authors.forename: Torbjörn U C
authors.initials: TU
authors.lastname: Järbe
authors.affiliation: Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Gifford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D063386:Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002188:Cannabis / Q000737:chemistry; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000819:agonists* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D063386:Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; D002186:Cannabinoids; D015198:Designer Drugs; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D013759:Dronabinol
keywords: Bioassays; Drug discrimination; Synthetic marijuana; THC
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