Toxicity of Synthetic Cannabinoids in K2/Spice: A Systematic Review.
Brain sciences June 24, 2023 Mariana Campello De Oliveira, Mariana Capelo Vides, Dângela Layne Silva Lassi et al.
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), sold as 'K2', 'K9', or 'Spice', pose greater health risks than cannabis, with higher toxicity and addiction potential unrelated to Δ9-THC. A systematic review of 64 articles (10 original papers and 54 case studies) found that SCs, particularly AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-CHMICA, were linked to deaths, with tachycardia and seizures as the most common toxicity symptoms. Third-generation SCs showed higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. SCs may exhibit greater toxicity and longer-lasting effects than THC, especially harmful for people with epilepsy and schizophrenia due to increased risk of psychiatric and neurologic disorders, convulsive crises, consciousness decline, and hemodynamic changes.