Synthetic Marijuana: A Short History
Synthetic marijuana sold as Spice first appeared in Europe in 2004 and in the US in 2008. However, chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana were created for experimental purposes decades earlier. These include:
- CP 47,497, named after Charles Pfizer of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, developed in the 1980s for scientific research.
- HU-210, named after Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where it was first developed in 1988. It is 100 to 800 times more potent than natural THC (the mind-altering ingredient in marijuana).
- JWH-018 and others in the JWH series, named after Professor John W. Huffman of Clemson University in South Carolina, created in 1995.
In 2010, the US Drug Enforcement Administration used emergency powers to control these chemicals, and in 2012 a law was passed banning the substances found in synthetic marijuana.
Underground chemists then developed new experimental drugs, UR-144 and XLR11, to mimic the effects of marijuana and replace other banned substances. In 2013, UR-144 and XLR11 were made illegal, but by then a new generation of synthetic marijuana had already appeared. The point is not whether these drugs are illegal. Studies show they are toxic and unsafe.
More than a hundred different varieties of synthetic marijuana have been created so far. Because the chemical content is constantly changing, buyers never know what effects these drugs will have on their bodies.
How much do you really know about synthetic drugs?
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