Three synthetic benzofurans—5-APDB, 5-MAPB, and 6-APB—were tested in mice and rats to compare their behavioral effects with MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In mice, 6-APB produced strong locomotor stimulation 20 to 50 minutes after injection, while 5-MAPB caused modest stimulation, and 5-APDB initially depressed then modestly stimulated activity. All three compounds were more potent than MDMA. In rats trained to discriminate MDMA from saline, all three benzofurans fully substituted for MDMA, indicating similar subjective effects. Only 5-MAPB fully substituted for cocaine, and none fully substituted for methamphetamine. The findings suggest these benzofurans may have abuse liability as substitutes for MDMA.
From 2000 to 2025, 70 fatal poisonings involving new psychoactive stimulants and hallucinogens (NPSH) were identified in Australia, the first occurring in 2007. In nearly a quarter of cases, the person appeared unaware they were consuming an NPSH, and about a third involved injection. Common signs of acute poisoning included intense agitation, sudden collapse, and hyperthermia. Cathinones were the most frequently detected NPSH, followed by phenethylamines and tryptamines. Over a quarter of cases had multiple NPSH in the blood. In the 2020s, tryptamines became more common while phenethylamines became less common, and a wider range of NPSH were detected. Psychoactive drugs besides NPSH were present in most cases, especially psychostimulants and hypnosedatives.