Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a final order temporarily placing three synthetic cannabinoids into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. By classifying these products as Schedule I drugs, all applicable criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, sanctions, and regulatory controls may be imposed on the manufacture, distribution, possession, importation, and exportation of the drugs. DEA has temporarily scheduled the following three synthetic cannabinoids:
- 1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)(2,2,3,3 tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone (UR-144);
- [1-(5-fluoro-pentyl)-1H- indol-3-yl](2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone (5-fluoro-UR-144, XLR11); and
- N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (APINACA, AKB48).
During the next two years, DEA will work with the Department of Health and Human Services to determine if these chemicals should be made permanently illegal.
Additional background on synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and related federal and state regulations is available in the February 2012 NABP Newsletter article, “Federal and State Governments Take Action to Stem Onslaught of Two New Classes of Synthetic Drugs” (PDF).