5F-MDMB-PICA has been detected in products sold on the internet as well as in biological samples since 2016. It is associated with serious adverse health and behavioral effects and even death. Herein we report on twelve cases with proven 5F-MDMB-PICA consumption, including three fatalities, four cases of driving under the influence of drugs and five other criminal acts. In these cases, 5F-MDMBPICA was detected in postmortem blood or serum. Concentrations ranged from 0.1–16 ng/mL. In some blood (serum) and urine samples, the hydrolysis metabolite of 5F-MDMB-PICA (M12) could also be detected. In this case series, co-consumption with other drugs occurred in 9 of 12 cases, most commonly alcohol, cannabis and other contemporary SCs. In five cases, 4F-MDMB-BINACA was also detected. The described cases demonstrate various adverse effects that might be associated with 5F-MDMBPICA. Observed physical adverse effects were mainly balance deficiencies and ocular effects such as reddened conjunctivae, glassy eyes and delayed or unresponsive pupil light reactions. Observed mental and behavioral effects were mainly changing moods, aggression, confusion, erratic behavior, mental leaps, disorientation, slowed reaction, logorrhea and slurred speech. Due to the fast changing market of synthetic cannabinoids, data on such new appearing substances are basically scarce. Because of the limited number of studies on pharmacological properties of synthetic cannabinoids, reports of findings in human samples along with corresponding case history descriptions can be valuable for the interpretation of upcoming routine cases.
Keywords: 5F-MDMB-PICA | Intoxication | Synthetic cannabinoids | DUID | Post mortem | High resolution mass spectrometry

Introduction: The objective of this study is to assess the changes in rates of juvenile cannabis criminal allegations and racial disparities in Oregon after legalization of cannabis (July 2015) for adults. Methods: This study included all allegations for cannabis-related offenses that occurred from January 2012 to September 2018 in Oregon. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine monthly cannabis allegation rates over time, and tested differences between youth of color and white youth, adjusting for age, gender, and month the allegation occurred. Analysis was conducted in January−March 2019. Results: Cannabis allegation rates increased 28% among all youth and 32% among cannabis-using youth after legalization. Rates of allegations were highest for American Indian/Alaska Native and black youth. Rates for black youth were double that of whites before legalization, and this disparity decreased after legalization. For American Indian/Alaska Native youth, rates were higher than whites before legalization, and this disparity remained unchanged. Conclusions: Adult cannabis legalization in Oregon was associated with increased juvenile cannabis allegations; increases are not explained by changes in underage cannabis use. Relative disparities decreased for black youth but remained unchanged for American Indian/Alaska Native youth. Changing regulations following adult cannabis legalization could have unintended negative impacts on youth.

Background: Cannabis is one of the most commonly sold drugs on cryptomarkets. Because of the anonymitygranting functions of Tor, no study has traced the within-country effect of the Dark Web on cannabis consumption patterns. This article uses a big data research design to examine the association between revealed interest in the Dark Web and self-reported cannabis use within US states from 2011 when Silk Road launched to 2015 when Operation Onymous shuttered nine markets. Methods: This study uses mixed effects ordinary least squared regressions to analyze U.S. state/year panel data, using robust standard errors to correct for heteroscedasticity. Marginal effect plots illustrate substantive effects. The dataset consists of state-level variables drawn from the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the American Community Survey (ACS), the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Correlates of State Policy Project, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts. Data for the Dark Web interest measure are drawn from Google Trends. The proxy for Dark Web interest is an index of eight Dark Web related search queries. Results: The regression analysis indicates that Dark Web interest in US states positively correlates with cannabis consumption rates overall and among older adults (26+), but not youth (12–17) or younger adults (18–25). Additionally, Dark Web interest is positively associated with more frequent cannabis usage rates (i.e. use in the past month, excluding first time use) both overall and among older adults, but not among youth or younger adults. Dark Web interest does not correlate with casual use (i.e. use in the last year, excluding use in the past month) for any age bracket. Interacting Dark Web interest with state-level legalization regimes indicates that the association between Dark Web interest and cannabis consumption in the past year is no different in medically legalized states and amplified in states with recreational legalization. Lastly, the Dark Web interest term does not correlate with first time cannabis either overall or for any age category. Conclusions: Interest in the Dark Web is associated with increased cannabis use in U.S. states from 2011–2015, but the effect is concentrated in states with more frequent cannabis users, older users, and in states with recreational legalization of cannabis.
Keywords: Dark web | Cryptomarkets | Cannabis | Silk Road | Google Trends | Cannabis Legalization

The use of conventional pesticides in pest management is facing issues such as developing resistance in pests, environmental pollution and impact on human health, together with regulatory hurdles for approval and marketing of new eco-friendly pesticides to comply with the global trend for residue-free foodstuff. In this framework, botanical pesticides represent valuable alternative products to be exploited. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is an eco-friendly, multipurpose crop that is known for its resistance against insects and parasites. This property is assured by the production of bioactive secondary metabolites such as terpenes and cannabinoids. Notably, the hemp essential oil (EO) contains several terpenoid compounds endowed with pesticide properties. On this basis, in the present work we assayed the toxicity of hemp EO on two ectoparasites of veterinary importance, i.e. Dermanyssus gallinae De Geer and Hyalomma dromedarii Koch. In order to identify the EO chemical constituents responsible for the toxicity on the two ectoparasites, the main monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes of hemp EO, namely α-pinene, myrcene, (E)-caryophyllene and α-humulene were tested as well. Mite contact toxicity assays were carried out at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 μg/cm3. Tick larvicidal and ovicidal assays were done testing 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 μg/mL of the hemp EO and its main components. Results from mite contact toxicity showed that hemp EO was toxic to D. gallinae with LC50 values of 47.1 μg/mL. Larvicidal and ovicidal assays revealed the promising activity of the EO against tick larvae and eggs. Among all the tested compounds, (E)–caryophyllene and α-humulene were the most toxic for both ticks and mites, showing LC50 values lower than the whole EO. Myrcene was moderately toxic, with LC50 values higher than the whole EO, whereas α-pinene showed weak acaricidal activity. Taken together our results remarked the potential of hemp EO as a potential botanical acaricide in pest management programs and food production. The industrial scalability is assured by the great availability of land for the cultivation of hemp and its low cost of production.
Keywords: Hemp | Cannabis sativa | Essential oil | Mite | Tick | Pesticide

Background: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, causes psychomotor impairment and puts drivers at increased risk of motor vehicle collisions. Many jurisdictions have per se limits for THC, often 2 or 5 ng/mL, that make it illegal to drive with THC above the “legal limit”. People who use cannabis regularly develop partial tolerance to some of its impairing effects. Regular cannabis users may also have persistent elevation of THC even after a period of abstinence. Some stakeholders worry that current per se limits may criminalize unimpaired drivers simply because they use cannabis. We conducted a systematic review of published literature to investigate residual blood THC concentrations in frequent cannabis users after a period of abstinence. Methods: We identified relevant articles by combining terms for “cannabis” and “blood” and “concentration” and “abstinence” and searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. We included studies that reported THC levels in frequent cannabis users after more than 4 hours of abstinence. Results: Our search identified 1612 articles of which 8 met our inclusion criteria. After accounting for duplicate publications, we had identified 6 independent studies. These studies show that blood THC over 2ng/mL does do not necessarily indicate recent cannabis use in frequent cannabis users. Five studies reported blood THC >2ng/mL (or plasma THC >3ng/mL) in some participants after six days of abstinence and two reported participants with blood THC >5ng/mL (or plasma THC >7.5ng/mL) after a day of abstinence. Conclusions: Blood THC >2ng/mL, and possibly even THC >5ng/mL, does not necessarily represent recent use of cannabis in frequent cannabis users.
KEYWORDS: Tetrahydrocannabinol | per se limits | systematic review