252
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Poison Centre Research

Effect of new legislation in Germany on prevalence and harm of synthetic cannabinoids

, , ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, , & ORCID Icon show all
Pages 1130-1138 | Received 03 Feb 2022, Accepted 16 Jun 2022, Published online: 08 Sep 2022
 

Abstract

Context

New psychoactive substances (NPS) have become an ongoing threat to public health. To prevent the emergence and spread of NPS, a new German law, the ‘NpSG’ took effect in November 2016. This study presents an overview of analytically confirmed synthetic cannabinoid (SC) intoxications from January 2015 to December 2018. In order to demonstrate effects of the NpSG, the results of 23 month before and 25 month after the introduction of the law were compared.

Methods

Within the scope of a prospective observational study blood and urine samples were collected from emergency patients with suspected NPS intoxication. Comprehensive drug analyses were performed by LC-MS/MS analysis.

Results

In the period considered, 138 patients were included. Within these, SC intake was verified in 65 patients (73%) in the period before the law change, and in 30 patients (61%) after. The median age increased significantly from 19.5 to 26 years. Seizures and admission to the ICU were reported significantly less frequently (seizures 29% versus 6.7%, p = 0.0283; ICU admission 42% versus 13%, p = 0.0089). 34 different SCs were detected, including four SCs (Cumyl-PEGACLONE, 5 F-MDMB-P7AICA, EG-018, 5 F-Cumyl-P7AICA) not covered by the NpSG at the time of detection. In the first period the most prevalent SC was MDMB-CHMICA (n = 24). 5 F-ADB was the most prevalent SC overall, detected in 7 patients (11%) in the first, and in 24 patients (80%) in the second period.

Conclusion

The number of SC intoxications decreased overall after the implementation of the NpSG. The shift in the detected SCs can be considered a direct effect of the NpSG but unfortunately the market supply does not appear to have been reduced. Although changes in the age distribution and in the severity of intoxications may be seen as secondary effects of the law, the main objectives of the new law to prevent the emergence and spread of further chemical variations of known scheduled drugs, have apparently not been achieved from the perspective of this study.

Acknowledgement

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) project “EVA-NpSG - Evaluation der Auswirkungen des Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe Gesetzes (NpSG)”.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) project “EVA-NpSG - Evaluation der Auswirkungen des Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe Gesetzes (NpSG)”.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 1,501.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.