Recent Trends in Designer Drug Abuse

Designer drugs are compounds that are chemically synthesized and intended to mimic existing illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Although designer drugs have recently become a major focus for both the medical and law enforcement communities, their inception dates back nearly a century to the appearance of various morphine esters following the first international ban on opium.A recent feature in Science highlights an alarming trend in modern designer drug abuse (1). Over the past few years the appearance of new synthetic designer drugs has grown exponentially and the current list is staggering. “Bath salts” are one class of designer drug structurally related to the molecule cathinone. Cathinone is naturally found in the khat plant and has been used by people for hundreds of years for its mild stimulant properties. Structural permutations of the cathinone molecule result in compounds …