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Metabolism of classical cannabinoids and the synthetic cannabinoid JWH‐018
Author(s) -
Su MK,
Seely KA,
Moran JH,
Hoffman RS
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt.114
Subject(s) - synthetic cannabinoids , cannabinoid , pharmacology , cannabinoid receptor , potency , metabolism , chemistry , medicine , biochemistry , receptor , in vitro , agonist
Although the putative pharmacological targets of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) abused in “K2” and “Spice” are similar to Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 ‐THC), it remains unclear why SCB toxicity is similar yet different from marijuana. There are obvious potency and efficacy differences, but also important metabolic differences that help explain the unique adverse reactions associated with SCBs. This brief review discusses the limited research on the metabolism of the SCB JWH‐018 and contrasts that with the metabolism of Δ 9 ‐THC.