Piperonal Legal Status

A legal high that recently raised its head above the parapet is 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI), which Treble says comes from a “classic piece of pharmaceutical research.” David Nichols of Purdue University in the United States is a leading pharmacology researcher and his team has synthesized several MDA amphetamine derivatives, including MDMA (ecstasy) and MDAI. Nichols is one of many legitimate researchers of these substances that could be used to treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The other listed chemicals covered by the legislation have not been addressed in the notices and are only a small number of potentially regulated new chemical mixtures. The DEA does not expect a significant number of chemical mixtures to be regulated due to the other listed chemicals. For chemical mixtures that fall within the regulatory parameters, the application procedure allows the manufacturer to obtain exemption status for a chemical mixture. Once a chemical mixture has been granted upon a waiver request, all activities downstream of that unchanged mixture are exempted. Another way for authorities to stem the flow of new substances – whether legal highs or illicit substances such as cocaine and heroin – is to cut off the supply of “precursor” chemicals, which are precursors to controlled substances. A look at the chemical structures of MDA, MDMA (ecstasy) and MDAI (right), currently a legal high, shows how similar they are. New agreement improves and strengthens existing legislationThe Irish Presidency reached agreement with the European Parliament today (19.06.13) on amending Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 on drug precursors.

Drug precursors are chemicals used in the legal manufacture of perfumes, cosmetics, fertilizers, oils and pharmaceuticals. However, it is possible that these substances could be diverted and used to produce illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. For example, just 200 g of piperonal, a substance commonly used in perfumes and flavourings, is enough to produce 4,000 cans of ecstasy. The current Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 introduced harmonised measures for intra-Community control and surveillance of certain substances used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs in order to prevent their diversion. Today`s agreement aims to improve and strengthen this legislation, thereby contributing to the fight against illicit drugs at the manufacturing stage, while providing legal certainty for legitimate businesses. The bill will close loopholes that could be exploited by criminals in the production of narcotics. Acetic anhydride (AA) is the main precursor to heroin, which is diverted in large quantities from the EU internal market to illicit drug production. Already 1-4 liters of AA can produce 1 kg of heroin. Nevertheless, it is a chemical that is widely used in many legitimate environments such as the manufacture of detergents and also in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Currently, the registration obligation for AAs only applies to economic operators who “place them on the market”, i.e. those who are primarily involved in the direct manufacture and/or supply and distribution of the chemical. This new legislation requires all end-users who use AA in the manufacture of other substances or directly to register with the authorities. Today`s agreement will now be submitted to Coreper for final approval by Member States. Just as pharmaceutical companies sift through many different compounds in search of a blockbuster drug, developers of legal highs will look at a number of potentially active compounds based on their similarity to other drugs. And their inspiration often comes from an unlikely source. After the deaths, mephedrone was quickly classified as a Class B drug, putting it on par with cannabis. But when a legal high disappears, new ones will be put on the market. The recent ban on the drug mephedrone – after it was implicated in the deaths of several young people in the UK – has brought the issue of “legal highs” to the public. Legal highs offer some of the effects of restricted drugs such as ecstasy or cocaine, but have a different enough chemical structure to stay on the right side of the law. In April, mephedrone fell into this category.

Like cathinone, it is chemically related to amphetamines such as ecstasy. According to the Home Office`s drug education website, Frank, its effects are “similar to those of cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines.” Most legal highs are bought on the Internet. They are often advertised as “plant-based foods” that are “not intended for human consumption.” They also claim to have no dangerous side effects, but anecdotal evidence suggests that mephedrone can cause drowsiness, paranoia, and seizures. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) maintains lists for the classification of illicit drugs (see DEA Schedules). It also maintains List I of Chemicals and List II of Chemicals Containing Chemicals Used to Manufacture Controlled Substances or Illicit Drugs. The list is set out in the Controlled Substances Act[1], but can be amended by the U.S. Attorney General if illicit manufacturing practices change.

A “bible” of the legal highs industry is Alexander Shulgin`s Pihkal – an acronym for Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved, which is actually a cookbook for a number of chemical compounds. A look at the entry on MDAI, for example, shows that it is not an easy task to produce a sample. One way for authorities to get a sense of the “pipeline” of legal highs is to monitor the Internet, as this is how most products are sold. The Psychonaut programme, based in Portugal, monitors the Internet for the appearance of new drugs. It examines which documents are offered for sale or discussed in chat rooms. Under the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, there is a list of controlled substances – the Red List. Many of these chemicals are used for legitimate purposes, but are also essential to the production of illicit drugs. As the chemical arms race continues, he says the dangers of legal highs become apparent over time. Examples include safrole, a precursor to piperonyl butoxide insecticide and MDMA; acetic anhydride, which is used in aspirin production, as well as for heroin; potassium permanganate, a powerful oxidizing agent that can be used in the production of MDA; and piperonal, which is used in perfumes, but also a precursor to MDA.

Speaking to satellite news service Sky News, Dave Llewellyn, a “self-taught chemist” who until recently supplied mephedrone to the UK, gave an overview of the Legal Highs pipeline. In order to identify exempted chemical mixtures, a concentration limit is established for each chemical or combination of chemicals, which determines the regulatory status of the mixture. Categories of exempted chemical mixtures are also defined. In addition, the DEA may determine, through an enforcement procedure, that a mixture is exempt (Section 1310.13). Another legal peak that has come to the fore since mephedrone became illegal is NRG-1. Its chemical name is naphyron and, like mephedrone, it is a cathinone. It is claimed to have started life as an appetite suppressant.