Phenomenon of new drugs on the Internet: the case of ketamine derivative methoxetamine

• Published in: Human psychopharmacology Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 145 - 149
• Main Authors: Corazza, Ornella, Schifano, Fabrizio, Simonato, Pierluigi, Fergus, Suzanne, Assi, Sulaf, Stair, Jacqueline, Corkery, John, Trincas, Giuseppina, Deluca, Paolo, Davey, Zoe, Blaszko, Ursula, Demetrovics, Zsolt, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Enea, Aurora, di Melchiorre, Giuditta, Mervo, Barbara, di Furia, Lucia, Farre, Magi, Flesland, Liv, Pasinetti, Manuela, Pezzolesi, Cinzia, Pisarska, Agnieszka, Shapiro, Harry, Siemann, Holger, Skutle, Arvid, Sferrazza, Elias, Torrens, Marta, van der Kreeft, Peer, Zummo, Daniela, Scherbaum, Norbert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.03.2012
• Subjects: Cyclohexanones - adverse effects; Cyclohexanones - pharmacokinetics; Cyclohexanones - pharmacology; Cyclohexylamines - adverse effects; Cyclohexylamines - pharmacokinetics; Cyclohexylamines - pharmacology; designer drugs; Designer Drugs - adverse effects; Designer Drugs - pharmacokinetics; Designer Drugs - pharmacology; Hallucinogens - adverse effects; Hallucinogens - pharmacokinetics; Hallucinogens - pharmacology; Humans; International Cooperation; Internet; Internet monitoring; ketamine; Ketamine - pharmacokinetics; Ketamine - pharmacology; methoxetamine; Public Health; research chemicals; Street Drugs - adverse effects; Street Drugs - pharmacokinetics; Street Drugs - pharmacology; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0885-6222; 1099-1077; 1099-1077
• DOI: 10.1002/hup.1242

On the basis of the material available both in the scientific literature and on the web, this paper aims to provide a pharmacological, chemical and behavioural overview of the novel compound methoxetamine. This is a dissociative drug related to ketamine, with a much longer duration of action and intensity of effects. A critical discussion of the availability of information on the web of methoxetamine as a new recreational trend is here provided. Those methodological limitations, which are intrinsically associated with the analysis of online, non‐peer reviewed, material, are here discussed as well. It is concluded that the online availability of information on novel psychoactive drugs, such as methoxethanine, may constitute a pressing public health challenge. Better international collaboration levels and novel forms of intervention are necessary to tackle this fast‐growing phenomenon. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.