Certo. Ecco la traduzione in inglese, mantenendo il tono medico-divulgativo e la terminologia tecnica del testo.
Scrittura
These are officially packaged and marketed products sold as incense or potpourri, products intended to fragrance the environment or to be dissolved in bathwater, carrying the warning “not for human consumption,” but intentionally adulterated by adding undisclosed cannabinoids.
These are laboratory-produced cannabinoids (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP 47-497, CP 47-497C8, JWH-019, JWH-250, AM-2201), that is, substances originating from the pharmaceutical industry (or, theoretically, from independent chemical laboratories) and produced for research purposes investigating the effects of cannabinoids on the body and their possible medical applications.
The fact that these compounds originated from pharmaceutical research does not mean that they have therapeutic properties. Rather, they were used in experiments investigating the potential therapeutic properties of cannabinoid substances.
Furthermore, both therapeutic effects and effects on the brain can vary substantially depending on the route of administration, which can make the effects either rapid or slow in onset.
The names used for these products are numerous. Some of the better-known ones include Spice, Spice Gold, Spice Diamond, Spice Maxx, Dragon Spice, Space, Berry Blend, Zombie World, Pot God, Dark Night, Mystery, Ocean Blue, The Moon, Earthquake, Bad 2 the Bone, Santa’s Sled, Fire & Ice, K2, Silver, Aroma, Arctic Spice, Genie, Scene, Dream, Tai Fun, Exclusive, Chill Zone, Chill Out, Sensation, Chaos, Zen, Zen Ultra, Scooby Snax, and Pulse.
There are two main reasons for the interest in these preparations.
First, these are cannabinoids originally developed for research purposes whose chemical structures differ from that of THC. As a result, they are not detected by tests designed to identify cannabinoids.
Second, some of them can be considerably more potent. For example, AM-2201 is a CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist with intrinsic activity reported to be 10–30 times greater than that of THC. JWH-018 has approximately four times greater affinity for CB1 and ten times greater affinity for CB2, and is a full agonist, making it more active than THC.
Other substances have also been identified as undeclared additives, including oleamide, a substance with cannabinoid-like activity, synthetic opioids, and MAO inhibitors (MAOIs).
According to DEA/NFLIS data, calls to poison control centers related to the use of synthetic cannabinoids increased from just 24 in January 2010 to 643 in June 2011.
The effects are broadly consistent with those expected from natural cannabinoids. As might be expected from their greater potency, certain effects are more likely, in a manner similar to what occurs with high-THC varieties of natural cannabis. These include more pronounced agitation and aggression, paranoia, hallucinations, and suspiciousness.
The danger lies in the fact that these products, although more expensive than cannabis, can also be obtained via the internet and are often sold legally, because their ingredients are not disclosed and some of the substances are not yet included on lists of prohibited substances.
Even when buyers are aware that they are purchasing substances with effects similar to those of cannabis, they may mistakenly believe that these products are milder or harmless.