Addiction
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Recently, several synthetic cannabinoids were identified in herbal mixtures consumed as recreational drugs alternative to cannabis products. The aim was to characterize the acute toxicity of synthetic cannabinoids as experienced by emergency patients. ⋯ There appears to have been an increase in use of the extremely potent synthetic cannabinoids JWH-122 and JWH-210. Acute toxic symptoms associated with their use are also reported after intake of high doses of cannabis, but agitation, seizures, hypertension, emesis and hypokalaemia seem to be characteristic to the synthetic cannabinoids, which are high-affinity and high-efficacy agonists of the CB(1) receptor. Thus, these effects are due probably to a strong CB(1) receptor stimulation.
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North America's first supervised injection facility-Insite-opened in Vancouver in 2003 under a special federal legal exemption. Insite has faced significant political and legal opposition, which culminated in a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that ordered the federal Minister of Health to extend the facility's exemption and cited evidence that the facility is life-preserving and does not increase public disorder. Officials in several other cities have initiated or accelerated preparations for new facilities due to speculation that the ruling provides sufficient legal basis to expand supervised injection in Canada. However, a comprehensive assessment of the barriers and facilitators to supervised injection facility scale-up is lacking. ⋯ Additional court action may be required to establish a stable legal and policy basis for supervised injection facilities in Canada.