A 90 minute presentation to Addiction and Mental Health workers in Ontario, Canada. Contains many links to useful resources and information. To provide a background and overview of some of the newer substances we are seeing and people may be consuming. A focus on: - MDMA / Ecstasy / Molly - Drug Checking - Bath Salts / Cathinones - Synthetic Cannabinoids **Unfortunately the speaker notes are not uploading. Please contact us if you would like a copy of these: http://www.ohsutp.ca/contact

1. Novel
Psychoactive
Substances
& an analysis
of the 2015 PSA
Cookin’ With Molly
Nick Boyce, May 25, 2015
thedrugswheel.com

2. • Feel free to share or adapt this information,
though please do credit us.
• This slide deck was created in May 2015.
– All of the URLs linking to external content were
active at that time; if any external content now
missing or out-of-date, please let us know.
• Please contact if you have questions or
concerns.

3. Before we start
let’s get a sense of
who’s in the room…

4. I work in…

5. I primarily work with…

6. I primarily work in…

7. Caffeine…

8. In Canada, a small amount of cannabis
(< 5grams) for personal use is legal.
No amount of cannabis has ever been legal to possess in Canada; except if
you have a medical license (MMAR) or prescription (MMPR)

9. Why Are You Here?
• What questions do you have?
• What are you hoping to learn?
• What are you seeing or hearing?

10. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

12. Jamie Britten, 23
Died from overdose. Totally preventable death… What if he had
been more aware of risks and friends had known how to help?

13. Just Say Know
• PLUR… +R
– Peace. Love. Unity. Respect. (The Rave Mantra)
– As overdoses and deaths started happening:
• +R = Responsibility
– Informed: you can’t manage risks if you don’t
know about them
Know your Body, Know your Mind, Know your Source
www.tripproject.ca

14. Why are we here?
• Overdoses (fatal and non-fatal) are still a
happening
• As service providers (and in our personal lives)
– If we are better informed, know where to find info,
and can challenge our assumptions and biases, we can
raise awareness and effect positive individual (and
systemic) change.
• A lot has changed in the last few years
– (Music and the culture)
– The drugs people are using
– How they access them

15. Overview
• The last 20 years, especially the last 5
• Proliferation of many new substances. Let’s
focus on:
– Molly / Ecstasy / MDMA
• Toronto Police PSA
– Drug Checking
– Zombies
• “Newer” class of stimulant drugs – cathinones
– IZMS… synthetic cannabis

16. Background & Terminology
• Rave Drugs / Party Drugs
– 1970’s - 1980’s:
• New York and Chicago discos
• Ibiza, Spain (UK Tourists)
– 1980’s - 1990’s:
• Underground Raves (U.K.); Warehouse Parties (New York, Chicago, Detroit,
Toronto); Gay Nightclubs
– 1990’s - 2000’s:
• Nightclubs (U.K.)
• Raves, Nightclubs, Gay Circuit Parties (North America)
– 2000’s:
• Nightclubs; Gay Clubs; all-ages-all-night events
• “Parties”
– 2010’s:
• Smaller nightclub events; Big EDM festivals

17. • Ecstasy / MDMA
• Meth (ice/jib) /Amphetamine (speed)
• GHB
• Ketamine
• Mushrooms / LSD
• Mescaline
• Nitrous
• Cannabis
• Nicotine
• Powdered Cocaine
• Poppers
• Viagra
• Energy Drinks
• Alcohol
• Stigma  Sponsorship
“Rave/Party Drugs”

18. MDMA - erowid
https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml

19. MDMA – M.A.P.S.
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a U.S.
non-profit research and educational
organization that develops medical,
legal, and cultural contexts for
people to benefit from the careful
uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
https://www.maps.org/

20. Ecstasy Pills
• Some Ecstasy Pills are simply MDMA pressed into
pill, as opposed to powder format
• Often Ecstasy Pills are “adulterated”:
– Sometimes to mimic MDMA; sometimes to “add a
little extra”
• MDMA on it’s own may not give the energy to dance until
8:00am
– Common additives in the past were:
• Caffeine; amphetamine/meth; ketamine; ephedrine

21. Ecstasy Pills
• Pills are far less common now; more often people are taking
capsules of loose powder
• Pills were “branded”, so you could ask around for certain batches
based on anecdotal experiences:
– e.g., people might report the ‘green 007’ was good; the ‘red TTs’ were
bad
• It was also easier to take half a pill instead of the whole one, as you
could bite or break it
• *When pills were more popular, you could also buy “pure MDMA” in
capsules (twice the price of pills)

23. Changing Drugs & Terminology
• MDMA / Ecstasy / Molly
Molly Capsules

24. Molly
• Substances are often sold packaged in gel capsules
(“caps”), or sometimes just as loose powder in a
“baggie”
• Some people may have a misconception that Molly is
safer, or pure MDMA
– Some caps are just MDMA (like you could always
buy)
– Many caps contain adulterants, misrepresented as
MDMA
• Other people wouldn’t know the difference: “It’s just
Molly”
– They don’t know of, or have never experienced,
MDMA

25. Molly
• Far more adulterants now:
– Methamphetamine; BZP; methylmethcathinone
(mephedrone); 5-MeO-DiPT; MDPV; and many
more
• The capsules are not branded in the same
way, making it much more difficult to
recognize good or bad batches
• Harder to take half a dose

26. “Pure MDMA isn’t an ideal
party drug for a lot of people.
You feel very cuddly, very
chatty, but actually not super
energized or hyped up. It’s
often described as more of a
chill time. This isn’t what a lot
of partiers want for their cray
exciting night out! This leads
to molly being anywhere
from a mix of MDMA and
amphetamines to just plain
old speed sold as molly.”
5 Myths about Molly: http://www.tripproject.ca/trip/?q=node/2032

28. European Monitoring Centre for
Drugs and Drug Addiction
In 2013, 81 new psychoactive substances were
notified to the EU Early Warning System,
bringing the number of substances monitored to
more than 350.
European Drug Report (2014) - Trends and
Developments:
http://www.ab.gov.tr/files/ardb/evt/european_
drug_report_2014.pdf

29. How did we get here?

30. Demand
Drug Policy / Law Enforcement
Scheduling / Precursor Restriction Molecular Chemistry
NeurobiologyWorld Wide Connection
Research / Sales
+

32. What’s most cost effective for dealers?
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

33. In the last 5-10 years
• Designer drugs – produced in illegal laboratories, falsely sold as
illicit drugs such as MDMA, cannabis, and heroin
• Legal Highs – aimed at recreational users, sold openly in head shops
and online
• Research chemicals – advertised as intended for scientific research,
sold openly online
• Food supplements – targeted at people looking to enhance their
body or mind (nootropics). Sold openly online
• Medicines – Diverted from patients or illegally imported and sold
on the illicit drug market

34. Novel Psychoactive Substances
NPS can be sub-divided roughly into the following:
• Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs)
– Traded under such names as Spice, K2, Izms. These bear no relation to the cannabis
plant except in that the chemicals which are blended into the plant matter, act on the
brain in a similar way to cannabis.
• Stimulant-type drugs
– BZP, mephedrone, MPDV, NRG-1, Benzo Fury, MDAI, ethylphenidate. The effects of these
drugs replicate across the range of those encountered with amphetamine and MDMA.
• Hallucinogenic
– 25i-NBOMe, Bromo-Dragonfly and the more ketamine-like methoxyetamine.
• Opiates
– There are some opiate type NPS in Europe such as kratom; a recent reported UK death
caused by a synthetic morphine product called AH-79217. O-desmethyl tramadol, an
opioid
– In North America seeing illicit fentanyl production.
Adapted from “Not for Human Consumption”, DrugScope

36. www.thedrugswheel.com

37. Ontario, Canada - Student Data

38. Novel Psychoactive Substances
• At some level there has been greater experience in Europe
(e.g., the UK).
• So far, relatively few people are coming forward to
treatment services citing an NPS as their primary drug
problem.
• However, this may well be a reflection of the way the
services are set up.
• Those areas with ‘club drug’ or similar services, by contrast,
report high demand.
• An exception would be mephedrone which is causing
problems across a range of user cohorts, from young
people, to those on the ‘chem sex’ party scene through to
traditional service clients.
Adapted from “Not for Human Consumption”, DrugScope

39. Context for the use of
some of these drugs…

40. “Rave” on…
• Underground raves and the associated culture
peaked in the late 90’s early 00’s in Toronto
(and globally).
• Smaller fractured scenes centred around
specific music genres continue to this day.
• In the last few years “EDM” has gained in
popularity…

41. Electronic Dance Music
• EDM events
– Grew out of rave culture
– Often massive scale
with tens of thousands
of participants
– Corporate sponsorship,
often alcohol companies
• Indoor productions &
outdoor festivals

42. “Sensation”
Click image to view on YouTube…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omjMBXyT2MU

43. “VELD Music Festival”
Click image to view on YouTube…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z7F9WmPMc4

44. Not just Toronto; events are diffusing into smaller regions

45. Have to acknowledge all the positive experiences people have at events.

46. May 2014, Toronto
Alcohol or drug use sent 29
people to hospital with various
degrees of illness on Saturday
night after an Avicii concert at
Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
Rogers Centre had its own medics
for the sold out, all-ages
electronic dance concert and
EMS was not on standby,
paramedics said. But staff at the
20,000-seat venue quickly
became “overwhelmed” by the
number of sick patrons, and
that’s when they called EMS to
take over.

47. August 2014, Toronto
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/deaths-at-veld-festival-
shed-light-on-party-drug-scene/article19942954/
Annie Truong-Le & Willard Amurao
20 and 23 years old

48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2zlPSCZDmE

49. • Who is it aimed at?
• What was the
message or some key
points?
• What did you like
about the video?
• What didn’t you like?
• Was there anything
wrong or that could
have been different?

50. Craig Ferguson, senior art director at
DDB Canada
• "The greatest challenge we faced was the
ability to speak to young people about the
topic of drugs. We felt a heavy-handed 'don't
do drugs' message would only deter our target
audience from engaging with our
communications. How could we do it in a way
that they would listen? Ultimately, the answer
was simple enough: Talk to them. Don't judge
them."
Source: THUMP Magazine

51. “This audience, maybe more than most, is a bit wary of a
preachy or judgemental tone,” he says. “We’re being a
little bit more open and informational versus a straight up
‘don’t do drugs’ message, which this audience can see
coming from a mile away and just tune out. Putting
together the lighthearted frivolity of a cooking show with
this dark menacing content just shakes things up enough
that we can get on their radar a bit.”
“Those old anti-drug ads are so judgmental and moral,
and the goal is never to put Crime Stoppers forward as a
moral authority,” he says. “Their goal is to save lives, so
it’s about being relevant and effective, not about
occupying a moral high ground. It’s about saving a kid and
making them think twice before choosing that particular
drug.”
Source: http://strategyonline.ca/2015/01/09/a-
new-recipe-for-drug-awareness/#ixzz3azbyBHoi

52. Concerns
• Would showing capsules be more credible
than pills?
• “Almost never see MDMA anymore”
– Simply not true (look at ecstasydata.org results)
– MDMA, or “Ecstasy” has always been adulterated,
but now there are just more substitutes

53. Concerns
• “Next week’s ingredient… Heroin”
– Practically no instances of this as an adulterant
• Makes no sense pharmacologically or financially
– Lose credibility
• Could go further… No practical risk reduction!
– It’s not a hard “Just Say No” message, but it
doesn’t provide resources or strategies for safety

54. May be on
Police/Public radar now, but…
http://www.tripproject.ca/trip/?q=node/1980

55. Drug Checking.
Why?

57. Methylone
• bk-MDMA
• Structurally similar to MDMA
• Similar effects; novice users may not differentiate
• Often need higher dose than MDMA
• Higher heart rate and body temp than MDMA
• Increased jaw clenching
• Confirmed police seizures and home test results
in Toronto (2013)

58. Methylone
• "[Methylone] has almost the same potency of
MDMA, but it does not produce the same
effects. It has an almost antidepressant action,
pleasant and positive, but not the unique
magic of MDMA.“ - Schulgin
• MOLLY: EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL
– http://www.mixmag.net/read/molly-everything-
but-the-girl-features

59. Methylone maybe one of the “better”
substitutes…

60. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/8-alberta-deaths-linked-to-ecstasy-like-drug-1.1166437

61. What’s in Pills and Capsules?

63. pillreports.net
• URL was changed to “.net”
• SUBJECTIVE reports!

66. http://www.projectknow.com/discover/jagged-little-pill/

67. Home Drug Checking
Reagents can only determine the presence, not the quantity or purity, of a
particular substance. Dark color reactions will tend to override reactions to other
substances also in the pill. A positive or negative reaction for a substance does not
indicate that a drug is safe. No drug use is 100% safe. Make good decisions.
[https://dancesafe.org/testing-kit-instructions/ ]

68. View the substance
colour change chart:
http://testkitplus.com/
wp-
content/uploads/pdf/pil
l-test-kit-color-reaction-
chart-
TestKitPlus.pdf?pdf=Rea
ction-Chart

69. www.dancesafe.org
A similar
chart from
US-based
DanceSafe:

70. Common drugs from previous
generations like LSD, mushrooms,
cocaine and opiates are still popular,
but they’ve been joined by the likes of
MDMA and ecstasy, amphetamines,
ketamine, and a massive array of
others.
In fact, there are so many different
psychoactive substances floating
through our country that people don’t
even realize how complicated things
have gotten.
We quickly discovered that the
majority of the time, people were
surprised to find that their bag of drugs
was not what they paid for.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC
VGL-1H6tK9PFUrgFkvCtfg

71. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-23069825
Inventory of on-site pill-testing interventions in
the EU
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/inde
x1577EN.html

72. Zombies…

73. I remember, about three years ago…

74. Media and police reported the
attacker was intoxicated on…

75. Miami Zombie Attack, May 2012
• May 26, Miami Florida
– Police shoot and kill a man who was attacking another person and
“chewing his face”. Police suspect the attacker was high on “bath
salts”.
• May 30
– Miami's 'Naked Zombie' Proves Need to Ban Bath Salts, Experts Say
• http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/05/30/miamis-naked-zombie-
proves-need-to-ban-bath-salts-experts-say
• June 02
– Drug Linked To Cannibalism Case Hits Edmonton Streets
• http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/02/bath-salts-drug-edmonton-
cannibalism_n_1565046.html?utm_hp_ref=rudy-eugene

77. “Bath Salts”
• May refer to a number of compounds that are synthetic
substances based on the (cathinone) compounds that exist in
the Khat plant of East Africa.
– Examples: mephedrone, methylone, and methylenedioxypyrovalerone
• Packaged as “bath salts” or “plant food” and labelled “not for
human consumption”, to minimize attention
• Primarily sold online; sometimes in some head shops or
convenience stores

78. “Bath Salts”

79. Bath Salts – Cathinone Derivatives
• Structurally related to cathinone, a chemical found in
the khat plant

80. Catha edulis (khat, qat)
Is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian
Peninsula. Among local communities, khat chewing is a social
custom dating back thousands of years. Khat contains a chemical
alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which
can cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.

81. Coca leaves in South
America, contain the alkaloid
ecgonine, a pre-cursor to
cocaine.
The alkaloid content of coca
leaves is low, between 0.25%
and 0.77%, so chewing the
leaves or drinking coca tea
does not produce the intense
high you can get with
cocaine.
Leaves are chewed or
brewed to overcome fatigue,
hunger, and thirst. It is useful
against altitude sickness.

82. Numerous
cathinone
derivatives
http://kinesis.co.u
k/synthetic-
cathinones-bath-
salts-detection/

83. “Bath Salts”
• Typically they have strong stimulant effects and require a
smaller dosage than drugs like methamphetamine or cocaine.
• In higher doses, or with extended use, may cause strong
“psychiatric effects” (psychosis).
• TRIP! Info: www.tripproject.ca/trip/?q=node/1939

84. “Bath Salts” in the media
• Numerous stories in the media of people acting very
bizarrely after suspected use of “bath salts”.
• Stories from the UK started 4-5 years ago and over
the last 2-3 years in Canada and the United States.
• Sometimes toxicology reports show that “bath salts”
were actually not ingested.
• The extreme cases are the ones reported; many
people have used the substances with no problems
at all.

85. Miami Zombie Attack, May 2012
• “No Bath Salts in Miami Case”
– Miami-Dade Medical Examiner, Bruce Hyma
"The department's toxicology laboratory has identified the
active components of marijuana... The laboratory has
tested for but not detected any other street drugs, alcohol
or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street
drugs. This includes cocaine, LSD, amphetamines (Extasy,
Meth and others), phencyclidine (PCP or Angel Dust),
heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, synthetic marijuana (Spice), and
many other similar compounds."

86. Closer to home…

87. Have you heard of MDPV?
• Mystery drug causing freakouts
Toronto Sun posted: January 19, 2012
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/19/mystery-drug-causing-freakouts
• Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
“Four people have showed up at the hospital within a 24-
hour period suffering from extreme paranoia, vivid
hallucinations and thoughts of killing themselves after
smoking or injecting a mysterious brown powder…”
• In this case, lab analysis by Health Canada confirmed the
use of MDPV.

88. “Bath Salts”
• Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
– CCENDU Alert June 2012 – “Bath Salts”
http://www.ccsa.ca/2012%20CCSA%20Document
s/CCSA-CCENDU-Drug-Alert-Bath-Salts-2012-
en.pdf

89. http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2012/09/
27/city-cops-applaud-criminalizing-bath-salts
“It’s positive news for us for
sure. If that substance
shows up again, then we’ll
be able to take action,”
Owen Sound Police Services
Det-Sgt. Mark Kielb said.
The drug has been found by
city police only once since
back-to-back raids in
January, he said. A small
amount was seized in May.
“I believe it’s out of the
community. I believe it was
a one-time thing,” he said.

90. UK Mephedrone Ban May Have Done More
Harm Than Good
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8320316/Ban-
on-miaow-miaow-may-have-done-harm-rather-than-good-report-
suggests.html
• The ban, which came after mephedrone had been linked to a
number of deaths, which were later found not to be
attributable to the drug, could be driving demand for other
new drugs.
• The ban comes after recent research revealed that 40 new
synthetic drugs have flooded into the UK during the past year.

91. "One of the dangers of the approach that has
been taken is that if we ban every new drug
without a balanced view, then people will keep
making more new drugs to replace them and
eventually they will make something that is
extremely toxic which, when kids take it, they
will die.”
- Professor David Nutt, Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs

92. “The New '$5 Insanity' Drug Is Making Bath Salts
Look Like Aspirin” (ibtimes)

93. Flakka / Gravel
• Alpha-PVP (α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone)
• Another derivative of cathinone
• norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI)
• Extremely dose sensitive; small doses that should be
weighed
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2015/04/04/flak
ka-the-new-drug-you-need-to-know-about/

94. Flakka / Gravel
• “Scary” stories are likely cases where people have:
– Taken too high a dose
– Mixed with other substances
– Have pre-existing mental health concerns
• Have we seen toxicology reports?
– Remember Miami Zombie case
• Never see media reports of people having “good”
and relatively safe experiences, such as:
– https://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=99718

95. Legal Highs / Research Chemicals -
Concerns
• False sense of
security
• Mislabelling
• Bad batches
• Dosage
• Long-term effects
unknown

96. Legal Highs / Research Chemicals
• Come in “waves” through the “dance music scene”…
and now other communities or social networks.
• Scheduling of these substances (making them illegal)
causes “blow-out sales” by manufacturers, who want to
get rid of them quickly:
– Easy to sell through the internet;
– Easy to buy if you have a credit card;
– Bulk sales to dealers:
• who re-package for end user, sometimes selling as traditionally known
drugs such as “Ecstasy”, or now, “Molly”.

97. Legal Highs / Research Chemicals
• Little is known of these substances,
particularly regarding their long-term effects
and potential contraindications with
medications and other drugs.
• Not a very high “success rate”:
– With many substances, 50% of users will get the
desired high, the other 50% will have vomiting
and diarrhea.

98. Safety
• “There really is no safe way – it’s all a
gamble...”
• What exactly are you taking?!
– Mass spectrometry (cost prohibitive)
– Home test reagent kits (not definitive)
– User reports (subjective)
– One person try sub-threshold dose before
everyone else (guinea pig)

99. Key Messages
• Legal = safe
• Stick to “classic” drugs if you haven’t tried new
ones
• You can never be sure what you are getting from
an in-person drug deal, or by purchasing online
• Check your drugs with online databases and
chemical reagents
• Be extremely cautious with dosing
– Some drugs require a .000 decimal scale to measure
accurately

100. The importance of
measuring your dose…

101. 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine

102. Caffeine
http://www.coolinfographi
cs.com/caffeine-poster/

103. Caffeine Powder
• A teaspoon of caffeine
powder is roughly equal to 16
to 25 cups of coffee.
• A 12-ounce can of Coke uses
34 milligrams, about one-64th
of a teaspoon.
• 3 - 20 grams (150 - 200 mgs
per kg of body mass) can be a
lethal dose for an adult (less
than a tablespoon).
• A 100-gram package (~$10)
equals:
– 400 “tall” cups of Starbucks
coffee
– 1,250 Red Bulls, or
– 3,000 cans of Coke
Ref: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/18/caffeine-powder-poses-deadly-risks-2/?_r=1

104. http://www.thestar.c
om/news/world/201
4/07/19/ohio_teens
_death_puts_focus_
on_dangers_of_unre
gulated_caffeine_po
wder.html

106. Cannabis / Weed

107. Joints / Pipes / Bongs

108. Vaporizers

109. Hashish / Hash Oil

110. Concentrates – “Dabbing”

111. Cannabis Concentrates
• Butane Honey Oil (BHO); Wax; Dabs; Shatter
– Cannabinoids extracted into a concentrated product,
typically with gasses such as butane or carbon dioxide
– Usually heated and inhaled, or ingested
• Concerns:
– High Concentrations of Cannabinoids
• Think hard liquor vs. beer
• Can lead to easier overdose (-ve)
• Though may mean you inhale less (+ve)
– Left over contaminants from production
– Production dangers (explosive chemicals)
– http://www.hightimes.com/read/dab-or-not-dab

112. According to police, unusually
high levels of
tetrahydrocannabinol, or
THC, make shatter very toxic
and addictive. "Marijuana
could be anywhere between
five and eight per cent THC,"
said Insp. Sam Theocharis.
"This is closer to 70 or 80 per
cent.“
Reality Check: Perhaps more “toxic”; it is more concentrated so
potentially easier to overdose. BUT… does not mean “more addictive”.
Also, people may actually inhale less as it is more potent.

113. A marijuana infused lollipop
found in Toronto (2013).
Media report with several
misleading statements and
no mention of the cannabis
psychosis connection!
http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?
clipId=162909&playlistId=1.12
32631&binId=1.810401&playli
stPageNum=1

114. Source: flipper.diff.org/app/items/info/6025

115. Synthetic Cannabinoids
• Synthetic chemicals
that mimic natural
cannabinoids found in
the cannabis plant
• Existing ones such as
Nabilone, prescribed
to chemotherapy and
other patients
• Newer “legal” or
recreational versions
sprayed on smoke-
able herbs, branded
and sold, such as
IZMS, K2, and Spice

116. • Synthetic Cannabinoid FAQ: So Do I Smoke It? (TRIP)
– http://www.tripproject.ca/trip/?q=node/2016
• Synthetic cannabinoids and 'Spice' drug profile (EMCDDA)
– http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-
profiles/synthetic-cannabinoids
• Why Synthetic Marijuana Is More Toxic To The Brain Than Pot
(Forbes)
– http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/08/28/6-
reasons-synthetic-marijuana-spice-k2-is-so-toxic-to-the-
brain/

117. Ontario, Canada - Student Data

118. In the past couple of months, U.S. states have
seen a sudden increase in severe harms thought
to be related to synthetic cannabinoids.
• American Association of Poison Control Centers
– “From Jan. 1, 2015, through April 22, 2015, poison centers have received
1,900 exposure calls from people seeking help for adverse reactions to these
drugs [synthetic cannabinoids]; this is almost four times the rate of calls
received in 2014.” http://www.aapcc.org/press/43/
• Mississippi State Department of Health
– Since April 2, 2015, there have been 511 reports of spice-related emergency
room visits from Mississippi
hospitals” http://healthyms.com/msdhsite/_static/23,16273,195.html
• Alabama Department of Public Health
– “…is aware of at least 98 people that have presented at hospitals in Alabama
within the past month with drug overdoses suspicious of being caused by
synthetic cannabinoids…” http://www.adph.org/news/assets/150415.pdf
• Governor Cuomo Issues Health Alert:
– “Illegal Synthetic Marijuana Sends More Than 160 New Yorkers to the
Hospital Since April 8” http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-
issues-health-alert-illegal-synthetic-marijuana-sends-more-160-new-yorkers
Acknowledgement:

119. Contact Us
Nick Boyce
Director
nboyce@ohsutp.ca
CC Sapp
Provincial Trainer/Acting Director
ccsapp@ohsutp.ca
Website
www.ohsutp.ca
Presentations
http://www.slideshare.net/OHSUTP/presentations