China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Synthetic Cathinones and Related Fatalities in the United Kingdom
Published in Ornella Corazza, Andres Roman-Urrestarazu, Handbook of Novel Psychoactive Substances, 2018
John M. Corkery, Christine Goodair, Hugh Claridge
Concerns have been expressed about abuse (in the sense of recreational or inappropriate use) of and dependence on some synthetic cathinones for at least the last three decades (e.g., with pyrovalerone—Deniker et al., 1975). During the period 1997–2004, six pyrovalerone derivatives were reported in Germany. However, it was not until the mid-2000s that an illicit market for synthetic cathinones became evident. In Europe, methylone appeared in 2005, followed in 2007 by mephedrone and MDPV—the latter first being reported in the UK the following year as causing health problems. By 2009, the rapid spread of mephedrone and reports of associated serious adverse health issues, including fatalities, in the UK led to the introduction of controls on such molecules. Since 2010, many more synthetic cathinones have emerged onto the illicit market; the most popular ones include 3,4-dimethyl-methcathinone, 3-fluoromethcathinone, 4-fluoromethcathinone, 4-methylethcathinone, α-PVP, α-pyrrolidinopropiophenone (α-PPP), buphedrone, butylone, methedrone, methylone, mexedrone, naphyrone, and pentedrone.
Synthetic cathinones: an evolving class of new psychoactive substances
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2019
João L. Gonçalves, Vera L. Alves, Joselin Aguiar, Helena M. Teixeira, José S. Câmara
In the following decade, the scenario of cathinone derivatives began to change, appearing as “legal highs” in some countries. Around 2004, methylone emerged in the Japanese and European market, under the trade name “Explosion,” being one of the first products to be marketed online and via smartshops (Bossong et al. 2005; Valente et al. 2014). In Israel, the use of khat-extracted cathinone spread in the early 2000s. It was originally marketed as a natural psychostimulant and aphrodisiac named “Hagigat,” but was banned in 2004, after a large number of hospitalizations caused by its administration (Bentur et al. 2008; Power 2014). In 2007, reports of mephedrone use started to emerge, first in Israel and then in other parts of the world, including Australia and Europe (Kelly 2011). Finland was the first European country where mephedrone was detected, but rapidly spread to other EU members, especially to UK (Oyemade 2010; Karila et al. 2015). Besides mephedrone, a number of other SCat, including ethcathinone, butylone, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 4-fluoromethcathinone, and its positional isomer 3-fluoromethcathinone, were reported and used on the European drug scene (EMCDDA-Europol 2008). The popularity of these substances, particularly mephedrone, suddenly increased in 2009, when an unprecedented decrease in ecstasy and cocaine purity and availability was observed (Measham et al. 2010; Prosser and Nelson 2012). Consequently, many drug users switched to mephedrone, since it was cheaper and more powerful than the available “traditional” stimulants (Schifano et al. 2011). In addition, its availability over the internet and its legal status may have boosted its popularity (Schifano et al. 2011).