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"New designer drugs" in aspects of forensic toxicology
M Maciów-Głąb1, S Rojek, K Kula
1Martyna Maciów-Głąb Katedra i Zakład Medycyny Sądowej Uniwersytet Jagielloński - Collegium Medicum ul. Grzegórzecka 16 31-531 Kraków
Aim Of The Study:
In autumn of 2010, in response to an ever-increasing market of "new designer drugs" and in view of new legal regulations, the Sanitary Inspection inspected numerous so-called "smart shops" where such products were sold. In the course of mass inspections, 3545 packages of various preparations were secured on the market in the Malopolska province. A total of 942 preparations were collected for analysis; of this number, 539 were sold as tablets and pills and 403 as plant-derived substances. The objective of the study was to determine potentially psychoactive components of the investigated preparations.
Material And Methods:
The prepared samples were identified by employing an analytical procedure where the analytes were investigated by gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) and thus a library of mass spectra was created.
Results:
The analysis revealed the following substances in the investigated products: piperazine derivatives (BZP, MPMP, TFMPP), cathinone derivatives (N-ethylcathinone, buthylone, ethylone, methylone, buphedrone, flephedrone), pyrovalerone derivatives (MDPV, naphyrone), and synthetic cannabinoids (AM-694, JWH-019, JWH-073, JWH-081, JWH-122, JWH-200, JWH-250).
Conclusions:
An unlimited source, i.e. the Internet, continues to provide the worldwide market with preparations of this type and their composition is constantly modified. The scale and complexity of the problem pose a challenge to forensic and clinical toxicology in the field of new designer drugs.
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