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Substance Use Disorders
Published in Vincenzo Berghella, Maternal-Fetal Evidence Based Guidelines, 2022
Amphetamines were first synthesized in 1887 [151]. Amphetamine is FDA approved (schedule II) for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The more potent stimulant, methamphetamine (schedule II), is FDA approved for the treatment of ADHD and obesity. Methamphetamine is easily made from over-the-counter cold medications and addiction can occur after as little as one use [152]. Ecstasy, which is chemically similar to methamphetamine, was patented in 1912 [153]. In the 1970s, psychotherapists used ecstasy to enhance “openness” with their patients [153]. Ecstasy was classified as a schedule I drug in 1985 [153]. Khat is a shrub (Catha edulis) native to the Southwestern Arabian Peninsula and Eastern Africa. Chewing khatpyy has been chewed for centuries because of stimulant and euphoric effects. The active ingredient is β-ketoamphetamine, a cathinone with properties that are similar to amphetamine [154]. Bath salts are a group of synthetic cathinones (naturally occurring alkaloids which are chemically similar to amphetamines) with amphetamine-like stimulant properties. Bath salts, sometimes also sold as “jewelry cleaner”, “phone screen cleaner”, or “plant food”, get their name from the resemblance of the white or beige crystalline powder to the real thing [154]. Bath salts are not detected on routine urine drug screens.
Novel psychoactive substances and inhalants
Published in Ilana B. Crome, Richard Williams, Roger Bloor, Xenofon Sgouros, Substance Misuse and Young People, 2019
Using the generic classification of ‘bath salts’, the Monitoring the Future surveys in the USA first collected data on prevalence in 2012 and they have shown a decline in use since that time in most age groups. In 2014, the 17–18-year-old age group had an annual prevalence rate of 0.9 per cent, and all of the other age groups had rates of 0.5 per cent or less with the single exception of 23–24-year-olds (0.7 per cent) (Johnston and Miech, 2015). Data on the prevalence of use of MDPV specifically is limited because many users are unaware of the specific synthetic cathinone they are using. General population surveys have indicated that the use of synthetic cathinones in the UK and Northern Ireland remains low in the general population, but there is an increased risk of use by young people aged 15–24 and those involved in music festival attendance and ‘gay-friendly’ night clubs (Karila et al., 2015).
The material scope of the international drug control system
Published in Daniel Wisehart, Drug Control and International Law, 2018
New psychoactive substances are used in order to obtain psychoactive effects, similar to those of psychotropic substances or narcotic drugs, while circumventing their control measures.55 A new psychoactive substance is a substance that (a) is neither controlled by the Single Convention nor the 1971 Convention and (b) due to its psychoactive effects poses a threat to public health that is at least comparable to psychotropic substances or narcotic drugs.56 ‘New’ in this regard does not necessarily mean that the substance in question has been produced or discovered lately, but that it has only recently become available.57 This definition is of course very wide and the UNODC subsumes different substances ranging from khat – a plant-based stimulant, used in certain parts of Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula for centuries58 – to ‘spice’ – synthetic cannabinoids, having similar effects to cannabis – under this label.59 The intended use of new psychoactive substances, is often – albeit only very superficially – disguised by marketing them as ‘bath salts’ or ‘aromatic potpourri’.60
The rise of global research trends on cathinones during 1994-2018: lessons from a systematic bibliometric analysis
Published in Journal of Substance Use, 2022
Kang Wang, Yijie Duan, Haihong Chen, Jin Hu, Man Liang
The co-citation analysis of cathinone publications was determined to clarify cluster development. Cluster 0 (“bath salt”) was composed of 22 publications, followed by Cluster 2 (“synthetic cathinones”), which contained 19 publications. As many substance users have switched from traditional drugs to NPS (Karila, Megarbane, Cottencin, & Lejoyeux, 2015), the replacement of khat with synthetic cathinones has become a prevailing social problem. With the development of internet systems, access to manufacturers, suppliers, and payment options has become more convenient across different countries (Elliott et al., 2018; Karila, Megarbane, et al., 2015). Intentionally mislabeled as “bath salts”, these covertly circulated substances have inevitably resulted in an increase in overdoses and “emergency room visits” (Katz et al., 2014).
The influence of viewing a headline about ecstasy/Molly adulteration on future intentions to use
Published in Journal of Substance Use, 2020
Joseph J. Palamar, Patricia Acosta, Charles M. Cleland
To determine whether information on the extent of adulteration shared by the media has value in influencing intentions to use ecstasy/Molly or to influence harm reduction behavior related to use, we utilized an experimental posttest-only design with random assignment to determine whether viewing the published Vice headline reduced the intention to use ecstasy in the future. We hypothesized that intentions to use would be reduced as “bath salts” are typically viewed as a dangerous and stigmatized class of drugs. We also hypothesized that users exposed to the headline who still intended to use would be more likely to engage in harm reduction behaviors. We believe results will help inform whether information about ecstasy/Molly being commonly adulterated with such potent and stigmatized drugs may be usefully targeted to those at risk for use (e.g., people who attend EDM parties and festivals).
“Not for Human Consumption”: A Descriptive Investigation into User Characteristics, Motives, and Consequences Associated with Bath Salt Use
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019
Lauren Zimmerman, Tess M. Kilwein, Danielle Beyer, Cassidy Marks, Alison Looby
Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as “bath salts,” have recently emerged as a drug of abuse. These drugs were developed to provide rewarding effects similar to other illicit substances (e.g., amphetamines), while evading existing legislative classifications and penalties through marketing them as substances that were not intended for human consumption (German, Fleckenstein, and Hanson 2014; National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] 2018). Synthetic cathinones typically present in white or brown crystal-like powder form and are sold in small packages labeled as “plant food,” “lady bug attractant” and, most commonly, “bath salts” in order to bypass regulations under the Federal Analogue Act (Jerry, Collins, and Streem 2012; Khey, Stogner, and Miller 2014; Miller and Stogner 2014). Possession, use, and synthesis of synthetic cathinones were legal until an emergency schedule I classification in 2011 (Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] 2017). Despite this designation, bath salts are still being abused and producing negative consequences for users.