Synthetic cannabinoids and acute kidney injury

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCB) are a family of chemicals that bind to cannabinoid receptors and cause psychoactive effects. Over the past few years, they have been increasingly used for recreational purposes, especially by young adults, and have been reported to have many adverse effects. Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been recently reported; the pathophysiology of SCB-induced AKI is unknown. We report three cases of AKI in the setting of SCB use. The peak serum creatinine levels ranged from 3.0 to 5.7 mg/dL; one patient required hemodialysis. SCB can induce AKI.