Synthetic Marijuana and Other Designer Drugs Do Not Show Up on Conventional Drug Tests, Study Shows

According to a new study by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a quarter to one-third of young men passing through the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system tested clean on conventional drug tests, but newer tests showed they had used synthetic marijuana.

The report was released on Wednesday, September 25^th.

“Up to now they might miss a particular drug but they wouldn’t miss a user. But now they are actually missing users,” said the study’s lead investigator, Eric Wish, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Substance Abuse Research. “What we find is the people taking the drugs are pretty smart. They find out what is being tested for and they don’t take it.”

The study took urine samples from 482 people, entering the DC Criminal Justice System between November 2012 and March 2013. Testing for 12 substances known to be synthetic marijuana, or synthetic cannaboids, showed that men under 30, often on parole or probation, were the heaviest users.

The current standard drug panel, which tests for alcohol and a variety of illegal drugs, does not often pick up synthetic marijuana. According to the study, 39% of the men who tested positive for synthetic marijuana on a more rigorous test, ended up testing negative for the designer drug on the standard panel.

“The most logical explanation for this result is that persons who know they are being tested by the [criminal justice system] and know that [synthetic cannabinoid] is not being screened for are likely to use [synthetic cannabinoids] to avoid detection,” the report states.

“We were unpleasantly surprised with the number of people who were testing positive,” D.C. Pretrial Services Agency Director Clifford Keenan said.

“This has just taken the cat-and-mouse game to an entirely new level,” said Robert DuPont, the first director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and an authority on drug treatment and testing. “The prevalence is way beyond what people have thought about.”

The DEA only recently made two specific synthetic marijuana compounds illegal, in order to study their effects on the general population further. Complaints of paranoia and hallucinations often accompany use of synthetic marijuana, bath salts, or other designer drugs, and have led to a spike in overdoses and deaths because the compounds are unregulated and unlegislated, making them easy to purchase, even for underage users.

However, the study mentioned that, even when drug panels are updated for new synthetic compounds and designer drugs, drug manufacturers come up with new compounds constantly, in order to skirt the law.

“You have people coming into these places exhibiting strange behaviors and they enter the public health system looking for help, but the doctor may not know what is wrong with the person,” Wish said. “The public health system needs to start looking at these new metabolites to screen for them.”

“We hope these findings will help state and local officials have a greater awareness regarding the prevalence of synthetic drugs in their communities as they seek to stop the revolving door of our criminal justice system by guiding more offenders into treatment,” Rafael Lemaitre, associate director for public affairs at the ONDCP, said.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help Defend Against Drug Charges Involving Synthetic Marijuana

If you or a loved one have been found with synthetic marijuana, or other synthetic drugs, you could face criminal charges ranging from misdemeanor to felony, depending on how much of the drug was on your person, and what your intent was with the drug. The drug crimes attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. Do not let drug charges for synthetic marijuana hurt your reputation or your future aspirations. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Contact us today for help. 803.252.4800