ACMD review into the use and harms of SSCs and THCA to identify compounds causing harm which are not captured by the current generic definition for cannabinoids.

This report describes a group of compounds that are similar in chemical structure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one isomer of which, Δ9-THC, is the main psychoactive chemical found in the cannabis plant. Like Δ9-THC, many of these compounds are psychoactive. Some are semi-synthetic, that is to say produced by alteration of the chemical structure of a naturally occurring compound, usually cannabidiol (CBD). For this reason, the compounds are usually referred to in the literature as ‘semi-synthetic cannabinoids’ (SSCs). Some similar compounds, however, can be made using either a semi-synthetic or a fully-synthetic approach, while others can only be made using fully-synthetic methods. For simplicity the term ‘semi-synthetic cannabinoids’ is used in this report for all of these compounds. The report also discusses tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA), which is a naturally occurring compound (phytocannabinoid) found in the cannabis plant.

CBD itself is not psychoactive and does not appear to have misuse potential [WHO, 2017]. It is not a controlled drug via the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) and is not subject to the provisions of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (PSA) in the United Kingdom (UK). Manipulation of the structure, however, can produce various SSCs that may not yet be under international control, but that have similar psychoactive properties to tetrahydrocannabinols, especially Δ9-THC. In the UK, Δ9-THC is controlled as a Class B substance by virtue of a generic control of cannabinol derivatives within the MDA (see para 4.9 of this report) and is similarly listed in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations of 2001 (MDR)...