Legal highs includes both
synthetic derivatives and vegetable compounds that
purportedly mimic the psychotropic effects of
traditional illicit drugs. In fact, over the last few
years the rapid spread of these substances has become a
public health concern.
As of 2017, there is little
information about the pharmacology and toxicology of
5-Iodo-2-aminoindan (5-IAI), no data (beyond
self-reports) about it�s acute and chronic effects in
humans, and no known reports of the effects on
neurochemistry, cognition, or memory. Nonetheless,
because of its 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA)-like effects, club drug users report that 5-IAI
is used as a substitute for illicit methamphetamine.
Last, the consumption of club drugs is a public health
concern worldwide.
For example, the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has estimated that in
2010 alone, the number of MDMA group users among people
15 to 64 years of age may exceed use among 25.8 million
individuals worldwide. Concurrent with this is a rise in
use of the various new designer drugs such as
pyrrolidinophenones, the synthetic cathinones, and the
pipradrol derivatives. In fact, use of these have
increased markedly among youth as MDMA substitute. Thus,
as an emerging drug of concern, the legal status of
5-IAI meets the growing demand for legal club drugs and
represents a risk factor for the spread of this
MDMA-like compound.
Current
& Future