About this Research Topic
Synthetic cannabinoids, also known as ‘Spice’ or ‘herbal blends’, represent one of the largest subclasses of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Despite being sold as a safe alternative, synthetic cannabinoids usually display higher potency and efficacy compared to cannabis and have been associated with severe intoxications and deaths, thus raising serious public health concerns. Novel compounds are often released in altered chemical forms, and the compounds undergo extensive metabolism, so that their detection in biological fluids remains challenging. Moreover, given the wide structural differences among this subclass of NPS, an in-depth study of each molecule comprising a broad range of toxicological data is of paramount importance.
The goal of this Research Topic is to gather a comprehensive characterization of synthetic cannabinoids, shedding light on data that might be useful for understanding the phenomenon, i.e. clinical features, differential diagnostic with other substances of abuse, the diffusion of synthetic cannabinoids, sociological aspects of abuse among teenagers, prevention strategies, and the trends and characteristics of the abuse. Chemical, analytical, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological data are of paramount importance not only for achieving the identification of synthetic cannabinoids in clinical and post-mortem settings, but also to allow an interpretation of the role of the involved substance in the specific event. Extensive and in-depth knowledge on these points cannot be disregarded for preventive purposes and for the development of focused counteracting strategies.
This Research Topic welcomes:
• Case Reports or case series of special clinical and forensic toxicological interest, especially focused on newly released, re-entered in the market or highly prevalent compounds;
• Original Research articles as well as method development and validation papers;
• systematic and non-systematic Reviews.
The following sub-topics fall within the scope of the Research Topic.
• Prevalence, characteristics, and trends of use of different compounds in different settings, especially in targeted populations (e.g. prisons, teenagers, and students) or in association with other licit or illicit drugs
• Prevention strategies
• Activity and affinity to the cannabinoid receptors
• Pharmacokinetics, detection windows, metabolism and identification of urinary biomarkers
• Analytical techniques, screening, and confirmatory methods, including those on post-mortem blood or on unconventional matrices
• Effects on psychomotor and driving performances
• Clinical signs and symptoms in acute or chronic intoxications
• Post-mortem evaluations, with particular reference on autopsy findings and toxic/fatal concentrations.
The goal of this Research Topic is to gather a comprehensive characterization of synthetic cannabinoids, shedding light on data that might be useful for understanding the phenomenon, i.e. clinical features, differential diagnostic with other substances of abuse, the diffusion of synthetic cannabinoids, sociological aspects of abuse among teenagers, prevention strategies, and the trends and characteristics of the abuse. Chemical, analytical, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological data are of paramount importance not only for achieving the identification of synthetic cannabinoids in clinical and post-mortem settings, but also to allow an interpretation of the role of the involved substance in the specific event. Extensive and in-depth knowledge on these points cannot be disregarded for preventive purposes and for the development of focused counteracting strategies.
This Research Topic welcomes:
• Case Reports or case series of special clinical and forensic toxicological interest, especially focused on newly released, re-entered in the market or highly prevalent compounds;
• Original Research articles as well as method development and validation papers;
• systematic and non-systematic Reviews.
The following sub-topics fall within the scope of the Research Topic.
• Prevalence, characteristics, and trends of use of different compounds in different settings, especially in targeted populations (e.g. prisons, teenagers, and students) or in association with other licit or illicit drugs
• Prevention strategies
• Activity and affinity to the cannabinoid receptors
• Pharmacokinetics, detection windows, metabolism and identification of urinary biomarkers
• Analytical techniques, screening, and confirmatory methods, including those on post-mortem blood or on unconventional matrices
• Effects on psychomotor and driving performances
• Clinical signs and symptoms in acute or chronic intoxications
• Post-mortem evaluations, with particular reference on autopsy findings and toxic/fatal concentrations.
Keywords: synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, analytics, pharmacology, toxicology, forensics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
