The Government of Spain has come warning in recent months of an increase in the detection in our country of 4-CMC, a psychotropic substance more commonly called clephedrone. To give us an idea, the Executive responded to a written question formulated in the Congress of Deputies than in the 2023 annual situation report (ASR) 582 seizures of this compound were reportedcompared to only 75 that were reported the previous year.
Already in 2022 the National Police carried out the first large scale seizure of this drug: nothing less than 20 kilos in Burgoswithin the framework of an international operation against substance trafficking. Now, a checkpoint installed at a Barcelona music festival by the project Energy Control has detected the circulation of said substance among users.
What exactly is clephedrone?
Clephedrone is the common name for the molecule 4-CMC or 4-chloromethcathinone. It is a stimulant substance of the cathinone familywith stimulating and empathogenic properties (that is, it generates feelings of emotional connection), as reported precisely Energy Control.
Thus, orally its subjective effects would be similar to those of other drugs in the family and are reminiscent of those of MDMA or ecstasy: euphoria, increased energy, greater sociability and sexuality, and visual and auditory hallucinations.
On the contrary, and although there is still not much information available in this regard, it is logical to think that the acute adverse effects (after specific administrations) could be analogous to those of other cathinones or phenethylamine stimulants: insomnia, anxiety, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, peripheral vasoconstriction, bruxism, dilation of the pupils (mydriasis), profuse sweating, increased body temperature…
Possible fatal cases, psychosis, anxiety…
It should be noted that cases of deaths have been documented in which the presence of 4-CMC has been detected in biological materials from the deceased (sometimes in relatively high concentrations), as stated in a WHO review report published in 2019.
In the same way, in the scientific literature the clephedrone poisoning It has been associated with panic attacks, aggression, agitation, psychotic symptoms, hallucinations and lack of sleep. In up to 15 non-fatal forensic cases in which the presence of the substance was verified, adverse effects such as mydriasis, lack of pupillary reflex, inarticulate speech, agitation, increased energy, tachycardia, difficulty walking, difficulty picking up objects from the ground, lack of balance, spatio-temporal disorientation, dizziness, verbosity and slow response.
Of course, both in the reported deaths and in the majority of cases, the 4-CMC was found in combination with other substancesso scientists warn that it may be difficult to determine which of the adverse effects are attributable to clephedrone and which result from other drugs or the combination. In the only reported case of poisoning with 4-CMC alone, the associated effects were agitation, expressions of joy, increased energy, tachycardia, mydriasis, and difficulty picking up objects from the floor.
Possible long-term toxic effects
Regarding the long-term effects and impact of chronic consumption, for the moment we have very little evidence due to the relatively recent discovery of the substance and the fact that its implementation on the black market is still very incipient.
In any case, the most worrying indication in this regard is found in a 2020 study published in the specialized media Neurotoxicity Research. According to this article, which reports on experiments on mice and cell cultures, clephedrone shows a neurotoxicity (nerve cell toxicity) that could result in long-term adverse effects.
Taking into account the lack of reliable information in this regard and the worrying nature of the few reports that we do have, as with other substances, consumption can only be discouraged. Ultimately, the Mixing with other substances could be especially dangerous; and without losing sight of the fact that 4-CMC has sometimes been detected in samples that users had acquired thinking they were other drugs, the ideal is to act with maximum caution and try to carry out tests (many festivals install stands for this purpose) to samples of any substance to maximize safety.
References
Secretary of State for Relations with the Courts and Constitutional Affairs (2024). Government Response – (184) Congressional Written Question 184/10032, 184/10035, 184710813. Consulted online at https://www.congreso.es/entradap/l15p/e3/e_0038257_n_000.pdf on October 3, 2024.
Energy Control (2023). 4-CMC in MDMA crystal. Consulted online at https://energycontrol.org/alertas/4-cmc-en- cristal-2/ on October 3, 2024.
Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (2019). Critical Review Report: 4-CMC (4-Chloromethcathione). Consulted online at https://ecddrepository.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/final_4-cmc.pdf on October 3, 2024.
Wojcieszak J, Kuczyńska K, Zawilska JB. Four Synthetic Cathinones: 3-Chloromethcathinone, 4-Chloromethcathinone, 4-Fluoro-α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, and 4-Methoxy-α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone Produce Changes in the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity and Motor Performance in Mice with Varied Profiles. Neurotoxicity Research (2020). DOI: 10.1007/s12640-020-00227-8.
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