An article appearing on the August 11, 2015, online version of Business Insider discusses six of the most common types of new synthetic drugs currently being produced. These drugs move into illicit markets quickly, leaving lawmakers with little time to enact legislation before a new, synthetically-altered analog is introduced (A handful of dangerous new legal drugs has public health experts worried). 

 

1. Synthetic Cannabis —  synthetic cannabis products often sold under street names such as "K2" and "Spice" have been linked with 1,000 deaths since 2009. These drugs produce effects that can be up to 100 times more potent than traditional marijuana, with high doses often resulting in seizures and psychosis.
   
   
2. Synthetic Cathinones — these drugs, commonly called "bath salts", are designed to mimic the effects of amphetamines and hallucinogens. Among the most popular synthetic cathinones in recent years include mephedrone, methylone, and alpha-PVP, known by its street name "Flakka".  
   
   
3. Synthetic Psychedelics — this category includes 1P-LSD and the NBOMe class of illicit drugs that are designed to exert psychedelic effects similar to those of LSD and psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Many of these emerging psychedelics are sold on blotting paper, leading people who take them to believe they are using other drugs commonly distributed with this method.
   
   
4. New Dissociatives — drugs such as methoxetamine, MXE, MXP, and diphenidine are synthetic substances that mimic the effects of ketamine and PCP. These compounds distort the perceptions of sight and sound to produce a feelings of detachment from the environment. 
   
   
5. New Sedatives — these synthetic drugs mimic the effects of benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. Recent examples of new synthetic sedatives include etizolam and flubromazolam. 

1. Replacement Opioids — this class of drugs mimics the effects of opioids such as heroin and fentanyl. Drugs in this category include AH-7921, U-4-7-7-O-O, and fentanyl analogs like acetyl fentanyl and butyl fentanyl. According to the article, these drugs have unpredictable and more severe side effects than traditional opioids.

Cerilliant offers a wide range of solution-based drug of abuse Certified Reference Materials (CRMs), from current and emerging novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) such as designer opiates and anesthetics, dissociatives, benzodiazepines, phenethylamines, and tryptamines to more established drugs of abuse such as cannabinoids, opiates, and amphetamines. These Certified Spiking Solutions® are suitable for quantitative mass spectrometry (MS)-based applications such as forensic analysis, urine drug testing, clinical toxicology, or isotope dilution methods.

Cerilliant's USDEA exemptions and TK#s allow laboratories in the US and Canada to order standards of controlled NPS drugs without additional regulatory paperwork. Click on the links below to view listings of NPS certified Snap-N-Spike® solution standards:

Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Synthetic Cannabinoids
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Synthetic Cathinones
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of 2-C Amines
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Benzodiazepines
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Amphetamines
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Opioids
Cerilliant Certified Spiking Solutions® of Hallucinogens