New psychoactive substances detected at the New Zealand border, 2014–2018

Simultaneous analysis of 29 synthetic cannabinoids and metabolites, amphetamines, and cannabinoids in human whole blood by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry – A New Zealand perspective of use in 2018

“…New Zealand has also been at the forefront of the NPS phenomenon with an appetite for benzylpiperazine since the early 2000s prior to the emergence of SCs . Figure depicts the evolution of SCs associated with reports of adverse effects in New Zealand from 2011 to 2018 . The prompt implementation of the described method into routine toxicological analysis at the end of 2017 enabled its contemporaneous application to authentic forensic samples submitted to ESR during a period exemplified by an acute increase in non‐fatal hospitalizations and deaths linked to SC use in New Zealand.…”

“…The aforementioned compounds were earmarked for inclusion in the analytical panel together with their putative metabolites, except for 5F‐CUMYL‐PINACA and JWH‐122 due to the lack of available verified standards. In addition, of the 134 different NPS observed at New Zealand border seizures from 2014 to 2018, SCs, synthetic cathinones, and phenethylamines made up the majority of the detections . It is also not uncommon for the co‐abuse or adulteration of NPS with amphetamine‐like stimulants and hence, the development approach was set out to achieve a method that can simultaneously detect SCs and amphetamines with diverse basicity, polarity, and working range in a single injection.…”

“…The details of their synthesis and characterization are elaborated in the Supporting Information. 5Cl‐AB‐PINACA, EG‐018, NM2201 and SDB‐006 were obtained from seizures at the New Zealand border, where their identities were verified by at least two of three analytical techniques [Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC−MS) and NMR] as described by Johnson et al The identities of the synthesized and seized substances were further confirmed by in house quadrupole time‐of‐flight (QTOF) high resolution mass spectrometry analyses. Amphetamine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methylamphetamine (MDMA), THC, 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH) and the deuterated ISs MDMA‐ D 5, methamphetamine‐ D 5, THC‐ D 3, THC‐COOH‐ D 3 were purchased from Cerilliant (Round Rock, TX, USA).…”

“…The development of our SC analytical testing capability was informed and directed by intelligence gathered from a network of drug monitoring and forensic chemistry laboratories, medicinal chemists studying cannabinoid pharmacology, and toxicology technical reports. First, contemporaneous analytical and characterization data for SCs encountered in border or street seizures were systematically derived and disseminated within ESR at a regular cadence. Second, in July 2017, ESR Forensic Toxicology initiated contact with the Psychoactive Surveillance Consortium and Analysis Network (PSCAN) who were generous in sharing information and reference standards that facilitated the timely resolution of the New Zealand outbreak.…”

New psychoactive substances (NPS) in the Netherlands: occurrence in forensic drug samples, consumer drug samples and poisons center exposures between 2013 and 2017

“…External factors, such as changing legislation and media reports on health consequences, may have influenced the occurrence of (specific) NPS between 2013 and 2017. Finally, customs data [23], data from waste water analysis [24,25], emergency department visits (such as the Euro-Den database [26]) and data from fatal poisonings [27] could supplement the presented data. However, databases for such sources are not always available or do not represent the whole country.…”