Blood concentrations of synthetic cannabinoids

Abstract

Introduction

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are the largest and most diverse group of new psychoactive substances. Their influence on organism is unpredictable and often lead to intoxications, including fatal poisonings. The interpretation of blood concentrations of detected SC although complicated, can help to determine the effects of an administered drug. The interpretation of one’s own results usually requires a comparison to previously published cases, therefore, a referenced compilation of concentration ranges would be useful.

Material and methods

The data collection was based on a search of PubMed and Google search engine. All the available data from articles and reports where SCs concentrations have been measured in whole blood, serum or plasma were included in the data analysis.

Results

Presented table lists the observed concentrations in fatal and non-fatal cases involving 65 SCs. A reference list with original papers has been added for each compound, which makes it easy to find the source data.

Conclusion

The observed concentrations of SCs vary widely and often have overlapping ranges for fatal and non-fatal cases. Conclusions regarding the cause of death are difficult based upon the concentrations alone and should include knowledge of the clinical situation in each case.

Keywords:

• Synthetic cannabinoids
• new psychoactive substances
• blood concentrations
• intoxication
• interpretation

Disclosure of interest

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