On July 9, 2012, President Obama signed into U.S. law the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (S.3187), which includes the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012. 

The bill itemizes all of the new synthetic compounds (synthetic cannabinoids and bath salts) which have now been added to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

You can download the official text of the bill here

Pam Loginsky, staff attorney for the Washington Prosecuting Attorney's Association, just issued her updated Search & Seizure Manual.  For anyone with questions about 4th Amendment issues, this is a great resource!    Go here for the document!   Many thanks for the hard work Pam!!

Congress Agrees to Add 26 Synthetic Drugs to Controlled Substances Act

The Drug Enforcement Administration today commended House and Senate negotiators for agreeing on legislation to control 26 synthetic drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.  These drugs include those commonly found in products marketed as “K2” and “Spice.”

The addition of these chemicals to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act will be included as part of S. 3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. Schedule I substances are those with a high potential for abuse; have no medical use in treatment in the United States; and lack an accepted safety for use of the drug.

In addition to scheduling the 26 drugs, the new law would double the length of time a substance may be temporarily placed in Schedule I (from 18 to 36 months).  In addition to explicitly naming 26 substances, the legislation creates a new definition for “cannabamimetic agents,” creating criteria by which similar chemical compounds are controlled.

Please find the entire text of the news release here

Here is the list of drugs the DEA specifically proposes to ban:

15 cannabinoids, 2 stimulants (Mephedrone and MDPV), and 9 2C compounds:

(i) 5-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (CP-47,497);

(ii) 5-(1,1-dimethyloctyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol (cannabicyclohexanol or CP-47,497 C8-homolog);

(iii) 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-018 and AM678);

(iv) 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-073);

(v) 1-hexyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-019);

(vi) 1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-200);

(vii) 1-pentyl-3-(2-methoxyphenylacetyl)indole (JWH-250);

(viii) 1-pentyl-3-[1-(4-methoxynaphthoyl)]indole (JWH-081);

(ix) 1-pentyl-3-(4-methyl-1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-122);

(x) 1-pentyl-3-(4-chloro-1-naphthoyl)indole (JWH-398);

(xi) 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole (AM2201);

(xii) 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(2-iodobenzoyl)indole (AM694);

(xiii) 1-pentyl-3-[(4-methoxy)-benzoyl]indole (SR-19 and RCS-4);

(xiv) 1-cyclohexylethyl-3-(2-methoxyphenylacetyl)indole (SR-18 and RCS-8); and

(xv) 1-pentyl-3-(2-chlorophenylacetyl)indole (JWH-203).

(b) Other Drugs- Schedule I of section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended in subsection (c) by adding at the end the following:

(18) 4-methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone).

(19) 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

(20) 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-ethylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-E).

(21) 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-D).

(22) 2-(4-Chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-C).

(23) 2-(4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-I).

(24) 2-[4-(Ethylthio)-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl]ethanamine (2C-T-2).

(25) 2-[4-(Isopropylthio)-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl]ethanamine (2C-T-4).

(26) 2-(2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-H).

(27) 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-nitro-phenyl)ethanamine (2C-N).

(28) 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-P).

The U.S. Supreme Court failed to come to any consensus upon the most recent Confrontation Clause case.   The justices fractured into four separate opinions that took 95 pages to explain.  

The article discussing the decision is here.

The full case is here. 

A new article in the Journal of Medical Toxicology overviews the toxicology of "bath salts," a synthetic cathinone (i.e. MDPV, mephedrone, methedrone).  Bath salts cases are quickly increasing in the Northwest and an understanding of the drug is critical to quickly spotting them at the onset.  

Recently a Fort Lewis soldier who murdered his wife and child was confirmed to have been snorting bath salts (MDPV in this case) shortly before the incident. Article here.  Second Article here.

To view the entire toxicology article, click here. 

Aaron Deveau, 18, who became the first driver in Massachusetts to be convicted of motor vehicle homicide by texting, has been sentenced to two years in prison and loss of his license for 15 years, the Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors said Deveau, who pleaded not guilty, was texting on Feb. 20, 2011, when his vehicle swerved across the center line of a Haverhill street and crashed head on into Donald Bowley's truck, killing the 55-year-old father of three.

"My brother received such severe head trauma that ... there was no hope for him," the victim's sister Donna Burleigh testified in Haverhill District Court.

Deveau was charged with motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, using a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, reading or sending an electronic message, a marked lanes violation, and two counts of negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use.

To view the entire news article, go here.

Jury Awards More than $21 Million Against Coca Cola in cell phone case.

Trends Report on Changes in the Designer Drug Market:
Spring 2012

Hosted by: Barry K. Logan, Ph.D., DABFT, NMS Labs National Director, Forensic Services

Dr. Barry K. Logan, NMS Labs National Director of Forensic and Toxicological Services, will present fascinating new data on how the identity of compounds available in the synthetic drug market place (cannabinoids and “bath salts”) has changed quarter by quarter since 2010. Compounds have come and gone largely to avoid attempts to schedule them, but some have emerged as major “chemicals of concern.” New compounds are now starting to appear, making obsolete even the latest changes in State and Federal laws designed to control this dangerous and rapidly growing market. Although the synthetic cannabinoid drugs have changed the most, the “Bath Salts/Plant Food” craze has recently developed momentum and is showing signs of expanding in scale and scope. After reviewing the trends in drug availability and their impact on forensic chemistry labs, the presentation will consider the challenges faced by toxicology labs in monitoring synthetic drug use as the menu of substances popular among drug abusers has grown and diversified, and how technological advances are helping with that effort. The presentation will conclude with the latest research reports on adverse effects of the use of these drugs and consideration of what we might expect through the rest of 2012.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
2:00pm - 3:00pm ET
Includes a Q&A Session following the presentation

Register online now to attend

The Challenges of Analytical Method Validation of Designer Drugs
in Non-Biological Samples by GC/MS

Hosted by: Fran Diamond, NMS Labs Chemistry Technical Leader

The new wave of designer stimulants that have become available has created new challenges for the analytical laboratories involved in drug identification work. The proliferation of analogous and isomeric forms of these substances has generated the need for new instrument technology, software solutions and scientific vigilance. Discussion will include the multitude of drugs that are available, the approach to analysis by GC/MS, and NMS Labs commitment to finding solutions to this ever changing environment.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
2:00pm - 3:00pm ET
Includes a Q&A Session following the presentation

Register online now to attend