Synthetic cannabinoid

Synthetic cannabinoids are laboratory-produced compounds that bind cannabinoid receptors. They include research tools (WIN 55,212-2, CP 55,940, HU-210), pharmaceuticals (dronabinol, nabilone), and illicit products sold as "Spice," "K2," or similar brand names. The illicit class — typified by aminoalkylindoles such as JWH-018 and later fluorinated indazoles like AMB-FUBINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA — are often full CB1 agonists with far higher intrinsic efficacy than Δ⁹-THC, and have been associated with seizures, acute kidney injury, psychosis, and mass-casualty intoxication events (Trecki et al., 2015, New England Journal of Medicine 373:103). Semi-synthetic hemp-derived cannabinoids such as Δ⁸-THC, HHC, and THC-O acetate occupy a regulatory gray zone between "natural" and "synthetic." → See also: HHC, THC-O, Delta-8 THC.