Description
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCRAs) are man-made chemicals that aim to copy the effects of the main active ingredient of cannabis, THC. These chemicals are usually sprayed on to plant material or natural herbs (which do not normally contain any tobacco or cannabis).
Some of these substances are now controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act, but most are still not covered by this legislation. Ones that are not controlled are subject to the Medicines Act, so labels will often say ‘not for human consumption’.
Sometimes the effects are stronger than typical cannabis. Also, as these are new chemicals, there may be some compounds where no information of its effects, including adverse effects, exists. The detectability of the compounds in standard drug tests is a subject of conjecture. New tests are being developed that will detect most synthetic cannabinoids.
There are many members of the SCRA drug class, with names often starting with prefixes such as AM-, CP-, HU-, and JWH-, or suffixes such as ‘ICANA’. These drugs have very different chemical structures to THC. Neocannabinoids (or ‘altnoids’) is the name given to synthetic cannabinoids that more closely resemble THC in their structure: for example, nabilone and HHC.
Desirable Effects
- Happy and relaxed (in moderate doses)
- Synesthetic (one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another sense) effects
Undesirable Effects
- Drowsiness
- Problems with co-ordination
- Paranoia and forgetfulness is possible but not known whether it exists for all these chemicals
- Dose/potency concerns
What does it look like?
In their pure form, SCRAs often come as a solid or oil. Sometimes this is dissolved into vape liquid or added to herbs or other natural materials, and packaged to resemble cannabis/THC.
Method of Use
Smoked: rolled in ‘joints’, with or without tobacco
Inhaled: in 'pipes' or 'bongs'/ 'buckets' or through a vaporiser (vape).
Swallowed: there have been some instances of pills and edibles containing SCRAs
Pharmacology
The synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists mimic the effects of THC and anandamide (the putative endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system and other organs) by binding to the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain and nervous system. Many SCRAs are full CB1 receptor agonists, whereas THC is a partial agonist, leading to stronger effects.
Very little is currently known about the detailed pharmacology and toxicology of the active ingredients within synthetic cannabis products. Very few formal human studies have been published on only a proportion of the newly discovered synthetic cannabinoid-type chemicals.
Some of these cannabinoids may have considerably shorter or longer half-lives (duration of action) than the more recognised ones (such as THC) and/or may have differing effects on the neurotransmitter systems that they act so it is not clear how much lesser or greater effect they will have on the body.
Most synthetic compounds are lipophilic (soluble in fat, and so are distributed into the brain and fatty tissues). The active ingredients in most synthetic cannabis products appear to be metabolised in the liver and excreted in the urine and faces.
History
The British company ‘The Psyche Deli’ (no longer trading) launched the ‘Spice’ brand in London in 2004. The term eventually became used generically for all similar products (much like ‘Hoover’ for vacuum cleaner), especially after the original company stopped trading c.2009, so many products were advertised as ‘the latest Spice’ or ‘new Spice product’.
The synthetic cannabinoids were first successfully replicated at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA in around 1984 by Professor John W. Huffman, who has since spoken publicly about his regret over his role in the development of the commercial products. A number of products (notably JWH-018, his 18th experimental substance) have even borne his initials. A talk he gave to the Carolina Cannabinoid Cooperative was entitled ‘JWH-018 – A Good Compound Gone Bad’. Huffman has been vocal in condemning the products sold under the ‘Spice’ label, warning that their health implications have not been fully appreciated. He has been quoted as saying “We had no idea that anyone would be stupid enough to use it […] If you want to get high, marijuana is easily available.”
In the early 2020s, across Europe and the US, neocannabinoids (aka semi-synthetic cannabinoids, altnoids) gained popularity and were marketed as supposedly ‘legal’ alternatives to ∆9-THC and cannabis. The EU Drugs Agency (EUDA, formerly EMCCDA) suggest this is linked to the legalisation of hemp cultivation in the US in 2018, a resulting abundance of hemp and CBD, an an interpretation among producers that hemp-derived cannabinoids remain uncontrolled so long as the product contains less than 0.3% ∆9-THC by weight. Common examples of neocannabinoids include hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), hexahydrocannabiphorol (HHC-P) and ∆8-THC (delta-8). HHC was reportedly first sold in the US in September 2021, following the legalisation of hemp cultivation.
Meanwhile, a UK demand for THC vapes and distillates grew as other countries began decriminalising and legally regulating their cannabis markets. In 2025, 100 out of 218 vape samples tested by WEDINOS were missold, and more than half of those contained the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PICANA.
Law
Possible offences
- Possession
- Maximum sentence – 5 years/fine/both
- Possession With Intent To Supply
- Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both
- Supply (including being concerned in supply, conspiracy to supply, aggravated supply and offer to supply)
- Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both
- Production
- Maximum sentence – 14 years/fine/both
In practice maximum sentences are rarely used, for more detailed and accurate information go to our sentencing page.
