Title: New Psychoactive Substances are Dangerous Mimics 

Primary Author (and presenter): Bowen, Dylan R

Additional Authors: Kadannagari, Surekha; Pathak, Suhrud; Ramesh, Sindhu; Govindarajulu, Manoj; Deruiter, Jack; Clark, Randall; Moore, Timothy; Dhanasekaran, Muralikrishnan

Department/Program: Drug Discovery and Development

College/School: Harrison School of Pharmacy

Abstract:

New psychoactive substances are rising in popularity due to their legal status and they allow people to pass drug tests which do not test for them. They can be very dangerous for the well-being of people and society, so there is growing concern over the rise in their popularity globally.  These chemicals are designed in a lab and are sold legally to mimic certain illicit substances. These new psychoactive substances (NPS) range from synthetic cannabinoids to cathinones to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives. Although some of these substances have been controlled legally, the laws cannot keep up with the amount new chemicals being designed thus making some of the most dangerous substances created in a lab actually legal to use and sell. Due to their novel status, the effects of many of these substances are unpredictable and potentially dangerous. The use of NPS is also probably underreported due to the fact that many are sold as the classic drug that they mimic. With the rise of the use and abuse of NPS, substantial diversity in adverse and unpredictable effects, and an increase in crime and health concern, there is an immediate need to conduct a systematic review (meta-analysis) on new psychoactive substances.

The primary conclusion was determined by an analysis of lifetime and first-time use of cannabis trends from UNODC, OAC, ADF, and other research or anti-drug databases.

New psychoactive substances are most likely used at a higher rate than what statistics report for various reasons including the fact that sellers misrepresent what they are actually selling, so users do not actually know that they are using a NPS. This can be deadly for many, and it is why there has been a recent surge in the number of opiate overdoses from fentanyl among other NPS. This increase in the number of overdoses and the unknown adverse effects of the various classes of NPS justify a need for further research and appropriate therapeutic interventions regarding adverse health outcomes of these unregulated and/or partially regulated substances. Research and training need to be conducted on how to handle patients who have overdosed on a NPS because of their novelty and unpredictability. These are reasons for conducting further studies and meta-analyses for new psychoactive substances.