Emery Dakota W, Iceman Christopher R, Hayes Sarah M
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 505 S. Chandalar Dr, Fairbanks AK 99775.
Valparaiso University, 1700 Chapel Dr, Valparaiso IN 46383.
J Young Investig. 2018 Apr;34(4):7-16. doi: 10.22186/jyi.34.4.7-16. Epub 2018 Apr 1.
Designer drugs, like Spice, are synthetic psychoactive analogs of illegal substances with understudied health effects since they have traditionally been sold in packages labeled "not for human consumption" and the molecular structures can be specifically altered to circumvent legislation. Recent legislation has focused on regulating packaging and has reduced, but not eliminated, the distribution of Spice in Alaska. Legally obtained Spice samples from three geographic regions in Alaska were analyzed using liquid injection gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Most (70%) of the samples contained illegal cannabinoids that have been regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and 47% contained multiple active ingredients. We hypothesized that the heterogeneity of the active ingredients between brands and across regions could be used to indicate small- or larger-scale manufacturing, and the results indicate multiple manufacturing scales. Evidence for small-scale manufacturing included inconsistent packaging, several of which contained similar active ingredient profiles in different brands purchased from a single store. Evidence for large-scale production was also found with some brands having consistent active ingredient profiles across regions. This study provides preliminary data for the geographic variability of active ingredients in Spice as an indicator of mechanisms of manufacture and distribution to inform legislators and law enforcement and help prioritizing resource allocation in an effort to quell Spice use in Alaska.
合成毒品，如香料（Spice），是非法物质的合成精神活性类似物，因其传统上以“非人类食用”标签包装出售，且分子结构可特意改变以规避立法，故而对其健康影响的研究较少。最近的立法聚焦于规范包装，这减少了但并未消除香料在阿拉斯加的流通。使用液体进样气相色谱 - 质谱联用仪（GC - MS）对从阿拉斯加三个地理区域合法获取的香料样本进行了分析。大多数（70%）样本含有已被美国缉毒局管制的非法大麻素，47%的样本含有多种活性成分。我们推测不同品牌以及不同区域之间活性成分的异质性可用于指示小规模或大规模制造，结果表明存在多种制造规模。小规模制造的证据包括包装不一致，其中一些从单一商店购买的不同品牌含有相似的活性成分谱。在一些品牌跨区域具有一致的活性成分谱的情况中也发现了大规模生产的证据。本研究提供了香料中活性成分地理变异性的初步数据，以此作为制造和分销机制的指标，为立法者和执法部门提供信息，并有助于在努力遏制阿拉斯加香料使用的过程中优先进行资源分配。
