'Fake Pot' Causing Zombielike Effects Is 85 Times More Potent Than Marijuana
Separating a portion of herbs contained in the package, Gerona and his colleagues used mass spectrometry to identify them. "You really don't know what to look for," he explained, so any of the typically used drug-testing panels are not helpful. Gerona and his co-researchers discovered that the package contained the synthetic cannabinoid known as AMB-FUBINACA, an analogue of AB-FUBINACA, which was developed as a potential pain medication by Pfizer in 2009. Three years later, Japanese authorities identified AB-FUBINACA as a potent illicit drug, and by January 2014, the United States had designated it a Schedule I controlled substance, explained Gerona. Within months, an analogue, AMB-FUBINACA, appeared on the streets in Louisiana as the psychoactive ingredient within a product called "Train Wreck 2." By July 3, 2014, the State of Louisiana prohibited it by an immediate emergency rule. Most of these drugs are distributed as mixtures of herbs, spices or shredded pla...